Lacklustre trend of sale at the cattle markets disappointed dealers, as high prices kept most of the buyers away.
Sacrificial animals are being sold at 30 to 40 per cent higher rates than the previous year.
A leading dealer in Defence area, Mian Aftab Zia said that brokers buy animals at low rates from different rural areas of the province, and have them transported in thousands to Karachi, Hyderabad and other cities to earn huge profits.
The average price for a small-statured goat ranges from Rs 20,000 to 30,000 while prices of medium sized and heavy animals range anywhere from Rs 35,000 and above, a lot more in some cases.
“You can’t blame us for the high prices,” said a trader, “after all we feed and keep the animals for months before the Eid and spend good money on them.” His partner added, “Meat is so expensive now; how can you expect animals to be sold at last year’s rates?”
However as Eid approaches, traders are hoping that people will be forced to come to the ‘bakra mandis’ and choose an animal for the religious festival.
Muhammad Jabbar, a trader from Kasur who has set up a stall at ‘Qainchi’ on Ferozepur Road told APP that most people are presently visiting markets just to assess prices, and termed the situation quite disappointing.
He hoped business would pick up in the next few days, as a majority of people opt to buy their animals the day before Eid to avoid the hassle of keeping and feeding them, and to make a final effort to buy at an affordable rate.