Low Cattle Prices Worry Farmers

BANGLADESH - The commercial cattle farmers in the district are worried due to price fall of the animals in the local markets, especially in view of the high cost of fodder and huge labour spent for them.
calendar icon 31 July 2018
clock icon 2 minute read

According to Bangla-based news agency The Daily Star, Aynal Miah, a cattle farmer at Khorarpul village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila (district), said he purchased six calves at Tk 99,000 ten months ago and reared those with the hope of selling for good prices ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha.

“But I am frustrated due to low price. Now a cow would not sell for more than Tk 35,000, which is even less than the cost for rearing as fodder price has increased,” he said.

Delowar Hossain, another cattle farmer at Shalmara village of Aditmari upazila, said he sold two of his seven cows for low prices in the local market in the last week.

“I hope to sell the rest five cows just before the Eid-ul-Azha. But I can hardly expect any profit as cow prices have fallen by Tk 8-10 thousand each compared to last year's,” he said.

“Now cattle rearing cost has increased as we have to purchase fodder at high rate although grass was available in the fields some years ago. If the prices of cattle continue to remain low, we will be discouraged to rear cattle,” said cattle farmer Nazrul Islam, at Karnapur village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila.

There is huge supply of locally reared cattle in the markets but buyers' presence is thin, said Mamtaz Ali, a cattle trader in the district's largest cattle market Durakuti Haat in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila.

“Farmers are selling their cows at low rate. The prices may fall further before the Eid-ul-Azha as a good number of farmers have prepared cattle for selling those during the period,” he said.

At least 30,000 farmers in the district are engaged in rearing cattle, said sources at the Department of Livestock in Lalmonirhat.

The District Livestock Officer Dr Nasir Uddin Khan said, “In previous years, farmers got huge profit from rearing cattle on commercial basis and this encouraged more farmers to engage in the trade. And so, there is huge supply of cattle in the local markets.”

TheCattleSite News Desk

© 2000 - 2024 - Global Ag Media. All Rights Reserved | No part of this site may be reproduced without permission.