It was around 1:00pm yesterday. By then, most sacrificial animals across Dhaka had already been sacrificed, but Habibur Rahman was still sitting at the Kachukhet cattle market with his two remaining bulls, hoping to reduce his mounting losses.

Around 1:30pm, one of the bulls was finally sold for Tk 80,000 to Majidul Islam.

Majidul, who lives in the Cantonment area, said the trader had demanded Tk 100,000 the previous night, but he refused to offer more than Tk 80,000. Before leaving, the trader gave him his phone number and asked him to return if he could not find another suitable cow.

Yesterday, the trader contacted him and agreed to sell the animal for Tk 80,000 after failing to find another buyer.

Habibur, a roadside fruit seller, said he had brought nine cattle from Kishoreganj after borrowing nearly Tk 400,000.

He said two cattle generated only small profits, while he suffered losses ranging from Tk 25,000 to Tk 40,000 on several others. One cow sold for Tk 80,000 had originally cost Tk 123,000. Including transportation, labour and feed costs, the total expense rose to around Tk 133,000.

“I lost more than Tk 50,000 on this cow alone,” he said.

Habibur’s experience was not isolated. Many sacrificial animals remained unsold this year due to weak demand and an oversupply of cattle across markets in the capital.

At Kachukhet cattle market yesterday morning, many trucks were seen leaving with unsold cattle as traders failed to attract buyers.

According to the Department of Livestock Services, the country had 1.23 crore sacrificial animals against an estimated demand of 1.01 crore, including around 57 lakh cattle and buffaloes and 66 lakh goats and sheep.

Traders said significantly more cattle had arrived this year compared to previous years. As buyers realised the markets were flooded with cattle, many delayed purchases until late at night and pressured traders into accepting lower prices.

According to traders, offers that initially stood at Tk 80,000 or Tk 90,000 later dropped to Tk 50,000 or even Tk 40,000.

“People cried throughout the night,” one trader said. “It became impossible even to take the cattle back home.”

Habibur claimed around 50 cattle had already been sacrificed near the Kachukhet market by butchers and small buyers taking advantage of falling prices.

Among them was Mohammad Aslam, who bought several large cows after suffering heavy losses in the cattle trade. He said he lost around Tk 1.70 lakh after selling seven cows below expected prices.

Realising many unsold cattle were being returned, he bought five more cows early in the morning for around Tk 1.20 lakh each. By afternoon, he had sacrificed all five cattle and was selling beef at Tk 800 per kg.

He said the total production cost was around Tk 700 per kg, allowing him to earn nearly Tk 100 profit per kg and potentially recover around Tk 2 lakh in losses.

A trader from Keraniganj said he had bought a cow two months ago for Tk 1.15 lakh and spent additional money on feed and maintenance.

He hoped to sell it for at least Tk 1.40 lakh to make a modest profit. However, the highest offer he received was Tk 1.35 lakh before prices collapsed further overnight.

Similar conditions were reported at Gabtoli and other major cattle markets in Dhaka, where thousands of cattle were either sold at low prices or taken back overnight.

Meanwhile, the collapse in cattle prices created opportunities for lower-income groups.

At Kachukhet market, a group of 43 pickup drivers and helpers jointly bought two cattle for Tk 1.95 lakh.

The group sacrificed the cattle themselves near the market after failing to find butchers quickly enough. The meat was later divided among the participants, with each person receiving around seven kg.

Group member Mohammad Yusuf said the meat cost them around Tk 710 per kg, much lower than prevailing market prices.

“We usually cannot afford to perform Qurbani,” he said. “This year, because cattle became so cheap, we were able to buy cows together and perform Qurbani ourselves.”