Virtual livestock market likely to see more sales this Eid

Every year after rearing cows on the farm in Bagdanga village of Ailchhara union in the sadar upazila of Kushtia district, the livestock farmers bring around 300 of their animals to the capital city Dhaka before the Eid-ul-Azha. This year they are unwilling to take the risk of coming to the animal ‘haat’ or market in the city because of coronavirus.

Md Faruk is trying to sell his cows from the village. He realises there are likely to be less animals in the market this time. Many of the sellers and the buyers are looking to the virtual livestock market for their sacrificial animals this year.

The virtual animal market is a digital platform where the animal traders and customers can interact online on the website. The seller will have still pictures or videos of the cow, bull, goat, sheep or any other sacrificial animals. Information will be provided on the price of the cow, its age, weight, how many teeth it has, where it is from and so on. It will be a lot like how people buy animals in the actual ‘haat’. The payment will be made by credit or debit cards and the animal will be sent to wherever the customer wants.

With Eid-ul-Azha ahead, Khamar-e Limited, a start-up company, has already begun its virtual ‘haat’. This company has been set up by Abdullah Abiyad, Shahrukh Hussain, Hamid Hasan and Dipto Saha, young engineers who have recently passed out from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET).

Dipto Saha, speaking to Prothom Alo, said, “We began this company in 2019 to use technology to make the lives and livelihood easier for the livestock farmers. In 2020, the telecom Robi, the financial institution IDLC and the tech company SBK Tech Ventures, invested in this company. Start-up Bangladesh, a part of the government’s ICT division, also supported this venture.”

Dipto Saha continued, “The four of us went around Badda in Dhaka city, looking at the livestock farms and thinking of how we could use digital technology to solve the problems of the livestock farmers. Now, in this prevailing coronavirus pandemic, we have come up with an online livestock market. The farmers can sell their animals at a fair price without going through the hassle of middlemen. The buyers too can buy their animals according to their choice. There are already 150 animals in this virtual ‘haat’. The sales will begin in the first week of July.”

Online sales of cows, particularly for Eid, had begun a few years ago, even before the Covid outbreak. Many sold their cows online at their own initiative and some went live on Facebook. But now, concerned persons feel, the demand for online livestock sales is likely to go up this Eid because of the coronavirus pandemic. As it is, many people cannot afford costlier animals this time because of economic constraints caused by coronavirus.

According the department of livestock, there were around 11.8 million animals suitable for sacrificial slaughter in 2019. These included 4,582,000 cows and buffaloes, 7,200,000 goats and sheep, and 6,562 other animals.

Last Eid-ul Azha, 11 million animals were slaughtered in the country. In 2018, this number was 10.5million.

Bangladesh Dairy Farmers Association’s general secretary Shah Imran has said that this time there are more sacrificial animals in the country. Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said over the past four months, there has been a fall in the sales of meat due to coronavirus. So the unsold cows and goats will be added to the Eid market. There are likely to be less buyers and sellers in the markets because of coronavirus. And there is also likSecretary general of Bangladesh Meat Merchants Association, Rabiul Alam,ely to be a 20 percent decrease in slaughter this year due to financial constraints and corona-related health concerns. Many may turn to online purchasing where the animals will be delivered to the buyers’ homes.

Secretary general of Bangladesh Meat Merchants Association, Rabiul Alam, fears that there will be a drop in livestock sales this Eid because of coronavirus. He told Prothom Alo, there is a lot of political connection with qurbani (the sacrifice of animals). There are no elections in the country at the moment. Also, due to coronavirus, politicians and wealthy people have been spending on food assistance. Distribution of qurbani meats also entails the matter of crowds. Many are unwilling to take this risk and so the demand for sacrificial animals is likely to fall. And the livestock farmers will be unwilling to come to the market if they feel they will not get a fair price. They will try to sell their animals from their respective areas. And many buyers to may opt to buy their animals online to avoid health risks.