Ahead of Bakrid, goat sellers stare at losses in Patna

PATNA

: Goat sellers in the city are staring at huge losses this year in the run up to Bakrid due to low turnout of customers at the

traditional cattle market

at Raja Bazaar amid Covid-19 pandemic. The three-day Bakrid celebrations would begin from August 1 depending on the sighting of the crescent moon.


Md

Ziaullah

Khan, coordinator of cattle market at Raja Bazaar, said only 30-35% goats could be sold so far as the business was badly hit due to coronavirus.

“People are only buying local goats because of their low purchasing power. There is hardly any taker for breeds of goat like ‘Tota Pari’ from Jaipur, ‘Barbari’ from Etawah, ‘Jamnapari’ from Allahabad and ‘Ajmeri’ from Rajasthan,” Ziaullah said.

He added, “Some people are buying goats in bulk to sell them at high prices in their localities as many people are not willing to come out of their homes due to the pandemic.”

Azhar Iqbal, a goat seller from Begusarai, said he sold only 250 goats in last 12 days at the market in Patna. “I reared 900 goats for over a year for the Bakrid festival. Now, I am unable to find buyers,” he said.

Hamza, another seller, said people are only buying small goats which are being sold in the range of Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000.

One Mod Shamsher alias Guddu, who reared a dozen of goats at home, said he has not found any buyer yet despite reducing the prices of the animals.

Amid lockdown, several people bought cattle online for ‘qurbani’ (sacrifice) ritual.

Farhan Khan, a resident of Alamganj, said it was risky to perform sacrificial ritual at home as the butchers would visit several homes on Bakrid. “There are chances that they carry the virus,” he said.

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