The sale of sacrificial animals at various makeshift cattle markets across Dhaka began yesterday, with a good number of animals having arrived already.

However, sales were low on the first day while prices remained high.

During a visit to the open space adjoining Dhaka Polytechnic Institute (DPI) yesterday afternoon, it was found that the prices of almost all bulls exceeded Tk 1 lakh.

Both customers and traders expressed dissatisfaction, as neither was getting their expected rates.

Anowar Hossain, a resident of Tejgaon, came to the market to purchase two bulls with a budget of Tk 3-3.5 lakh. However, he failed to buy any animal.

“I am not getting suitable sacrificial animals within my budget as traders are demanding higher prices, despite the market having a large number of bulls,” he said.

According to traders, the high prices of sacrificial animals at the farmers’ level, along with increased cattle feed costs, are the main reasons behind higher prices.

“I brought five bulls from Jamalpur this [yesterday] morning to the cattle market. However, the prices I am being offered are much lower than my actual cost,” said Azel Ali, a trader from Jamalpur.

He said the prices of his bulls ranged from Tk 1.8-3 lakh, but he received an offer of only Tk 1.3 lakh for a bull priced at Tk 1.8 lakh.

Shah Alam Bepary, a trader from Sirajganj, said he brought 39 small and medium-sized bulls, priced between Tk 80,000 and Tk 2 lakh.

Among those, 20 bulls had been reared at home while the remaining 19 were purchased a few weeks ago.

“Although we may still make some profit, a large number of bulls have already arrived at the market this year, raising concerns that oversupply could drive prices down,” Alam said.

Nil Chand, who brought two bulls from Sirajganj after rearing them for two years, said customer presence was very low yesterday.

“Last year, we earned around Tk 70,000 profit from four bulls priced between Tk 1.1 lakh and Tk 1.4 lakh. This year I brought five bulls, but the current supply trend and customer turnout are giving negative signals,” he added.

“If I can sell all five bulls for over a total of Tk 8 lakh, I will be able to make a profit,” he also said.

A total of 22 cattle markets, including permanent ones, are set to run across the Dhaka North and South city corporations this year. Of those, 11 each are under DNCC and DSCC areas.