Staff Reporter :
During the holy Eid-ul-Azha, it is a tradition to visit different markets and buy the beloved sacrificial animal. Now, this market has a touch of modernity.
Traders are selling millions of animals from farms through online platforms, allowing buyers to purchase their chosen animal from the comfort of their homes.
This modern system is known as the ‘Digital Cattle Market’. The official development of the digital market took place in 2020, and it gained significant popularity and trust among people last year.
The biggest initiative so far in digital cattle markets is digitalhaat.gov.bd, a collaborative effort by e-Cab, ekShop, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Bangladesh Dairy Farmers’ Association, and other government agencies.
According to a 2023 report, digitalhaat.gov.bd sold 56,821 animals from June 20 to June 28 last year, with a sales volume of BDT 422 crore 23 lakh 59 thousand 257.
Jahangir Alam Shovon, Executive Director of e-Cab, shared insights on this evolving landscape. “The buyers are enthusiastic, but we have seen a lack of interest among sellers for online haats, as the price of sacrificial animals fluctuates in the traditional market based on supply and demand,” he explained.
The Covid-19 pandemic saw a significant surge in online sales, but this trend has been declining. “This year, our projection is that the sale volume will be half of what happened in 2023,” he added.
Jahangir emphasized the need for greater collaboration to boost the popularity of online haats. “More initiatives must be taken by related stakeholders. Our platform is charge-free for both buyers and sellers.
We also have guidelines for selling animals online, and if any buyer complains about their purchase, we look into the matter,” he said.
While this initiative faces challenges, other local efforts behind digital haats are introducing new concepts.
AdorshopraniSheba is running its digital market for sacrificial animals for the fourth consecutive year through their ‘praniSheba Shop’.
Fida Hoque, CEO and MD of AdorshopraniSheba, said, “We have set a fixed price for our sacrificial cattle. Last year, we sold 109 cattle online and 209 offline from our available 320 cattle, with an online sales volume of BDT 1.06 crore. We provide customers with videos of the cattle and price the meat according to the live weight of the animal.”
“This year, we have observed a rise in ‘Bhaag’ (shared Qurbani), allowing people to purchase meat portions according to their budget, which we then home deliver. This method reduces pollution, as the animals are not transported live, and we can process the meat and blood in our facilities,” he added.
Highlighting the unique aspects of praniSheba, Fida said, “Our company integrates InsurTech and FinTech solutions. We utilize unique identification technology by saving the muzzle patterns of cows, similar to fingerprint technology. This ensures each cow has a unique identifier, allowing for insurance coverage and making banks more confident in providing low-interest loans to farmers.
Additionally, we offer crowdfunding projects through praniSheba Joutho Khamar for farmers lacking sufficient funds.”
Other agro and individual initiatives are also using social media platforms like Facebook along with in-person sales and are observing steady growth.
Masrur Ahmed, MD of SAC Agro, shared his company’s growth story. “In 2023, we sold 23 cattle online, all priced at less than BDT 2 lakhs. This year, we have already sold 34 cattle online so far. We take full liability for the animal before delivery to maintain customer satisfaction,” Ahmed stated.
Ibrahim Shapan, AGM & Head of Othoba.com, discussed their success in the digital marketplace. “We sold around 70 cattle last year with a sales volume of around BDT 1.2 crore. This year, we have already sold around 150 cattle with a sales volume of BDT 2.5 crore.
Due to inflation, this year the most popular cattle are in the price range of BDT 1 lakh 30 thousand to BDT 1 lakh 50 thousand. Most of our customers are from either Dhaka or Chattogram,” Shapan noted.
Despite these successes, challenges remain. As digital haats still rely on photos and videos, many buyers find it difficult to understand the specifics of the sacrificial animals. There is also the issue of trust among buyers and sellers when it comes to online transactions.
“The online market for cattle is not yet fully reliable to customers and local farmers. There is a lot of work that needs to be done,” mentioned Touhidul Alam Zenith, MD of Sadeeq Agro and Chairman of Agromukam, an online selling platform. He added that rural farmers have not yet adapted to online platforms, so it is important to make them interested.
“From Agromukam, we are trying to help rural farmers. We send them portable weight machines and tell them to send pictures, and we do the rest. We have set BDT 500 per kg live weight, which is an important guideline to set steady price tags for both customers and farmers. Also, it is hard to maintain customer satisfaction without a physical establishment,” Touhidul added.
‘Digital haats’ are becoming more common each year, with growing advantages such as online payment, home delivery, and waste management. However, more needs to be done in terms of mass popularity and acceptance. The enthusiasm among buyers is evident, but achieving widespread adoption among sellers and rural farmers will require continued effort, innovation, and collaboration.