Sacrificial Animals start pouring in from Punjab as Eidul Azha celebrations pick up momentum in KP
PESHAWAR (APP): As only five days left in Eidul Azha celebrations, the sacrificial animals started pouring in from Punjab province to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including Peshawar where cattle dealers are earning maximum capital.
All the main and small cattle markets in Peshawar including Lala Kalay, Ring Road, Hayatabad and Bakhshu bridge are flooded with sacrficial animals mostly transported from Sahiwal, Lala Musa, Lahore, Attock, Rawalpindi, DG Khan, Jehlum and Bhakkar districts of Punjab.
“I have brought 12 load trucks of sacrificial animals from Punjab to meet the pressing demands of the people on occasion of Eidul Azha,” said Ibrahim Khan, an inter-provincial cattle dealer of Peshawar at Lala Kala market while talking to APP on Friday.
He said the prices of large sacrficial animals including oxen, buffaloes, camels and cows was relatively reasonable compare to small animals such as goat and sheep in local market on occasion of Eidul Azha. The prices of small animals including goat and sheep are very high because of the last year devastated floods.
Riazul Haq (57), a former PST teacher cleaning his perspirations with a white handkerchief in local cattle market, was seen engaged in hectic arguments with cattle traders one after another hoping to buy a small sacrificial animal at reasonable price to commemorate the supreme sacrifices of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) and Hazrat Ismail (AS) on Thursday.
Engaged with arguments with cattle traders at Pabbi bazzar, Riazul Haq was seen using his argument skills besides making determined efforts to convince the cattle dealers after they declined his Rs50,000 offer for a Kohistani sheep.
“I came from hometown Mohib Banda to Pabbi cattle market at morning with a hope to buy a goat or a sheep on reasonable price but its prices was sky high, and performance of “Qurbani” is merely a dream for many government employees this year.
Cleaning his perspiration from his face and hands with his long white handkerchief on his head to avoid heatstroke, Riaz said that he spent almost an entire day to buy a suitable sacrificial animal at Peshawar and Nowshera cattle markets on reasonable prices but in vain.
The former teacher said that he would now visit Peshawar on Sunday with the hope that prices of the animals would become down and be able to purchase his choice animal at affordable price.
“Definitely, I will go for collective Qurbani with my family members if prices of goat or sheep did not come down by Tuesday evening,” said Qaiser Khan, a retired PESCO employee at Lala Kala Market, Peshawar while talking to APP.
Besides skyrocketing prices, he said poor sanitation, waste management and heat strokes fear have added the difficulties of buyers.
Like, Riazul Haq, many government officials and pensioners are being seen at cattle markets of Lala Kala, Ring Road, Hazar Khwani, Hayatabad and Charsadda Road in Peshawar, Amangarh, Akora Khattak, Risalpur and Pabbi Nowshera district with abundance of sacrificial animals on the occasion of Eidul Azha.
During a market survey conduced by APP on Friday afternoon, it was found in different cattle markets that the visitors especially government employees
were more in number than buyers as most of them came to the markets
to have an idea about the prices, however traders are expecting that
the sale of cattle would reach to its peak as Eidul Azha approaches nearer and all their stock would be sold out as per their price demand.
“Since last Thursday, I have sold only 15 oxens out of 50 available with me. The buyers mostly government employees comes to cattle markets to take an idea about the prices and then most of them return empty hands due to scorching heat,” said Dilfarshah Khan, an inter provincial cattle trader of Nowshera.
“I have brought 15 trucks having five buffaloes and oxen from Punjab to Nowshera and Peshawar and only 20 animals were sold so far due to price hike and inflation,” said Khan.
He said increase of transportation and fodder charges have increased prices of sacrificial animals this year.
‘The dealers suffer great economic losses in case death of an animal due to heatstroke or lumpy skin disease,” he added.
Apart from domestic traders of KP and Punjab, inter-provincial businessmen of Sindh and Blochistan have also brought their stocks to Peshawar from where sacrificial animals were being transported to the seven merged tribal districts and possibly to Afghanistan for high profits.
“I have so far brought 20 trucks of cattle from Sahiwal and my brother were sending five more trucks to Peshawar that would reach here by Sunday night,” Sohail Sardar, an inter-provincial exporter of Nowshera said.
Refused an offer of Rs 300,000 for his ox ‘ Sona’ last Thursday, he said that any offer less than Rs. 350,000 would not be accepted.
Dr Aftab Ahmad, Director Livestock and Dairy Development KP told APP
that hundreds of thousands of cattle are being sacrificed in KP on occasion of Eidul Azha.
He said KP have no viable choice but to import cattle from Punjab to ensure availability of sacrificial animals on reasonable rates to the people, adding that around 70 to 80 percent cattle are being brought form Punjab.
The tripartite-export agreement between Pakistan, India and Afghanistan would immensely help meet people requirements of beef, milk and sacrificial animals.
The transportation of sacrificial animals to Afghanistan are major reason behind hike of sacrificial animals prices in KP that needed to be regulated.
He said that several checkpoints were established with the
assistance of provincial government at various places on highways
connecting KP with merged areas to control the menace of cattle smuggling.
Livestock department official said that fumigation spray at cattle markets are being conducted to counter animals diseases in the province.
The department has deployed teams in different cattle markets for monitoring of animals and for spraying of insecticides.
Dr Aftab Ahmad urged the cattle owners to ensure cleanliness and use mosquito repellent besides cold shelters as safety measure for protection of animals from disease and heat.
In case of illness of any animal, he urged people to isolate it and inform Livestock officials for forthwith for its treatment.
Dr. Aftab said the DVM doctors were assigned tasks to visit cattle markets and ensure that animals with symptoms of lumpy skin disease may be isolated and treated on the spot.
