Cattle farmers doubt ensuring low price sacrificial animals

Reza Mahmud :
Unabated hiking of fodder prices has pushed the cattle farmers across the country towards huge struggle to keep their animal rearing costs within limit.

They are trying utmost so that the price of the sacrificial animals should not go high ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha.

“The uncontrolled increasing of different fodders made us vulnerable. It pushed us in a deep dilemma as we want to keep the sacrificial animals prices under the purchasing capacity of our countrymen. It helps not to import cattle from other countries.

Meanwhile the fodder price hiking has made it difficult as it is increasing the cattle rearing costs,” Md. Imran Hossain, President of Bangladesh Dairy Farmers Association (BDFA) told The New Nation.

He, however, said that the prices of sacrificial animals may not go so high as the cattle farmers are keen to keep the country self-reliant in this sector.

Cattle farmers in different areas said that they have been rearing animals to sale during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha and earn some profit, but now it seems difficult due to the excessive price hikes of fodder.

They are anxious as the cattle rearing cost has increased widely.

The cattle farmers alleged that the price of cattle feed were increasing frequently which making difficult for the farmers to cope. It has been shattering their hopes of earning profit ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

As per their claim, one sack of wheat husk, weighing 37 kg, is being sold at Tk 1,950 while a sack of paddy husk, weighing 50 kg, is being sold at Tk 850-900 in almost every areas.

Meanwhile, one sack of mustard oil cake, weighing 37 kg is being sold at Tk 1450-1500 while one sack of granular feed, weighing 25 kg, is being sold at Tk 1380-1400.

One kg of soybean oil cake is being sold at Tk 85 while a fist of straw is being sold at Tk 8.
Farmers said that an ox needs feed worth Tk 200 and they are now at a huge loss due to other expenses as well.

Even farmers who have had cattle farms for a long time, have now reached the stage of giving up this business, they claimed.

Some of the cattle farmers said that the prices of milk and beef have increased, but they are hardly benefitted from these because the middlemen, that means traders can make profits than the farmers, they said.
Arun Kanti Mandal, District Fisheries and Livestock Officer of Khulna blamed some unscrupulous businessmen behind the fodder price hiking.
He, however, said that the government is providing financial support to the cattle farmers.
“We advised them to grow grass on their land as an alternative feed for the cattle, which can reduce the rearing costs,’ the officer said.