S A Shofiee, Sylhet :
In view of the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha, the work of fattening sacrificial animals is underway in the farms of Sylhet division. Farmers are spending a busy time on the farms.
In the past one year, the demand for sacrificial animals has decreased in Sylhet, along with the production. Meanwhile, due to the increase in production costs, sacrificial animals will have to be purchased at a higher price this time. Local farmers are worried about the illegal import of sacrificial animals from neighboring country India again.
Farmers said that
The cost has increased due to the increase in cow feed. As a result, the price of animals has increased. In addition, they are worried about the loss due to the import of stolen cows across the border. On the other hand, the Livestock Department says that there is no shortage of sacrificial animals in Sylhet this time. Rather, there is a surplus of 37 thousand 38 animals. This time, the demand for sacrificial animals has decreased by 1 lakh 22 thousand 774 compared to last year. Compared to last year, production has decreased by 1 lakh 21 thousand 882 animals.
This year, the demand for sacrificial animals in Sylhet division is 2 lakh 71 thousand 477. 3 lakh 8 thousand 515 are ready. There will be a surplus of 37 thousand 38 to meet the demand. However, last year, the number of sacrificial animals in Sylhet division during Eid-ul-Azha was 4 lakh 30 thousand 397. And the demand was 3 lakh 94 thousand 251. Last year, there was a surplus of 36 thousand 146 animals. Accordingly, in a span of one year, the production of sacrificial animals in Sylhet has decreased by 1 lakh 21 thousand 882. And the demand has decreased by 1 lakh 22 thousand 774.
Some people believe that the reason for the decrease in the demand for sacrificial animals in Sylhet this year is the escape, hiding and imprisonment of many leaders and activists of the fallen Awami government. However, officials of the concerned department have not agreed to comment on this matter. They said that after talking to local farmers, it was learned that some are not interested in sacrificing this time.
According to the Sylhet Divisional Office of the Livestock Department and farm sources, the demand for sacrificial animals in Sylhet division for the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha is 2,71,477. Of these, 3,08,815 are ready locally in Sylhet division. The remaining 37,038 animals can be exported to other districts of the country.
About 300,000 cattle are ready for sacrifice in different farms in the 4 districts of the division. Like last year, it is possible to meet the demand with locally produced animals this time too. In view of Eid, work is underway in all farms in Sylhet to fatten up the sacrificial animals. Each farm has all types of small, medium and large sacrificial animals.
Meanwhile, the Livestock Department has informed that farmers have been trained on fattening up the cattle. In addition, farmers have been given hands-on awareness training by holding yard meetings at the upazila level to prevent the use of steroids.
According to the Sylhet Divisional Livestock Office, this year, there are 1,30,756 cattle eligible for sacrifice in Sylhet division, 32,368 oxen, 37,392 cows, 5,420 buffaloes, 77,646 goats, 24,14 sheep and 919 other animals.
This year, there is a demand for 83,541 animals eligible for sacrifice in Sylhet district. 1,22,278 are ready. Of these, 43,882 are bulls, 15,277 oxen, 8,184 cows, 3,402 buffaloes, 24,449 goats, 7,150 sheep and 59 other animals. In Sylhet district, the demand for sacrificial animals last year was 150,709. The supply was 180,921. This time, the demand in the district has decreased by 67,168 and the production has decreased by 78,643.
In Moulvibazar district, the demand for sacrificial animals is 78,929 and the supply is 80,637. Of these, 32,088 are bulls, 7,591 are oxen, 6,901 are cows, 1,272 are buffaloes, 28,622 are goats, and 4,163 are sheep. In Moulvibazar district, the demand for sacrificial animals last year was 98,542 and the supply was 83,081. This time, the demand has decreased by 19,613 and the production has decreased by 3,175.
This year, the demand for sacrificial animals in Habiganj district is 65,583 and there are 70,746 ready. Of these, 29,966 are bulls, 5,049 oxen, 14,291 cows, 359 buffaloes, 13,202 goats and 7,779 sheep. Last year, the demand for sacrificial animals in Habiganj district was 90,638 and there were 1,02,976 ready. This time, the demand has decreased by 24,755 and the production has decreased by 32,230.
In Sunamganj district, the demand for sacrificial animals this time is 43,424 and there are 54,854 ready. Among them, there are 24,820 bulls, 4,351 oxen, 8,160 cows, 387 buffaloes, 11,363 goats, 5,057 sheep and 860 other animals. Last year, the demand in Sunamganj district was 54,362 and 62,688 were ready. This time, the demand has decreased by 10,938 and the production has decreased by 7,834.
Several farmers in Sylhet said during the conversation that the price of all types of animal feed is already high. In the meantime, due to the intense heat, they have to spend extra on animals. The animals have to be kept in the air for 24 hours. They have to give soda with food. They have to check their breathing regularly. Again, since it is the harvest season, the wages of the workers have to be paid more. Common animal feed ingredients in the country include soybean meal, wheat bran, rice polish, lentil husk, mustard meal, corn, mung bean husk and pea husk. The prices of these ingredients have increased by 30-40 percent this time. Many traders buy animals a few months ago just for the sacrifice.
Farm Owner Abdur Rahim said, I bought a cow for 60 thousand taka. I fed it with food worth 20 thousand taka. Now if I don’t get a price of 1 lakh to 1 lakh 10 thousand taka, I won’t eat it.
Sylhet Divisional Livestock Office Director Dr. Maruf Hasan told that there is no shortage of sacrificial animals in Sylhet division. Rather, there is a surplus of 37 thousand 38 animals. So this time there is no need to bring animals from neighboring districts. However, this list is just a draft, not final. Even if the demand does not increase much, the production of all types of animals will increase slightly in the end. At the end, we will make a final list again. Then the production gap compared to last year will also decrease.
He said, even though there is a surplus of more than 37 thousand animals, animals will come from various neighboring districts. Again, they will be sold from Sylhet division to other districts and divisions. Many expatriates in Sylhet are more interested in sacrificing large cows. And such large cattle are produced very little locally in Sylhet. Therefore, large animals from various districts of the country including Kishoreganj, Netrokona, Mymensingh, Kushtia come to Sylhet. This time too will be no exception. However, more animals will be sacrificed locally.
