Sale, Purchase Of Sacrificial Animals Starts In Mianwali

With Eid-ul-Azha just three weeks away, the sale and purchase of sacrificial animals has started in Mianwali district

MIANWALI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Jul, 2020 ) :With Eid-ul-Azha just three weeks away, the sale and purchase of sacrificial animals has started in Mianwali district.

Cattle markets are being established around the city and people have started visiting the places. However, the prices of animals appear to be very high initially and beyond the capacity of a common buyer. The animal owners are demanding very high rates in the absence of any price regulatory mechanism of the city government.

On an average, over 250,000 sacrificial animals are slaughtered in the city on every Eid-ul-Azha and out of total number of animals, around 100,000 are small animals i.e. goats and sheep, while the rest are big animals, like cows, calves, camels, etc., said an official of the city government.

A survey of different sale points showed that the price of a normal-size goat ranges from Rs 25,000 to Rs 70,000, a lamb/sheep from Rs 30,000 to Rs 60,000 and a cow/calf from Rs 100,000 to Rs 160,000 in most of the city markets. This survey showed that prices are higher compared with the last year.

Kabir Khan, a seller, said that rise in transportation charges, cost of animal breeding and feed as well as bribe and taxes at various points result in increase in the animal prices.

Naseer Ahmad, another seller from south Punjab, said the price of green fodder has gone up by 50 per cent in comparison with the previous year, while fare of a truck from south Punjab to Lahore has also increased by 100 per cent. "I am worried how come I would be able to sell my animals in loss," he said.

Majority of the customers visiting animal sale points said the government should control the prices but it leaves the general public at the mercy of the sellers who demand very high prices of their animals.

Kareem Khan, a resident of Esa Khel, said that prices of animals have increased but there was no improvement in the income, adding that white-collar citizens are facing the real dilemma as they wanted to buy the animal to fulfill their religious obligation but could not afford it.

However, most of the citizens believed that high prices of sacrificial animals would lower in coming days because the sellers would not take back their animals.

Another citizen Asmat Ullah said that presently the sellers are demanding high prices, especially of goats but they would have to reduce these prices.

People demanded the government enforce a price mechanism so that they could purchase sacrificial animals on reasonable rates.