Customers bleat on high prices

LAHORE - Owing to more than 80 per cent increase in the prices of sacrificial animals, all the sale points are yet to witness traditional rush of customers usually observed few days before Eidul Azha. Though hundreds of goat, sheep, cows and camels have been brought into the City but flow of sacrificial animals has failed to attract a reasonable crowd of customers so far. Price of an average goat having weight around 20 kg to 25 kg varies from Rs 18,000 to Rs 22,000 against Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 the last year. A cow of 40 to 60 kg is costing Rs 40,000 to Rs 55,000 while a cow of the same weight was sold out from Rs 35,000 to 45,000 the last year. Price of an average camel is Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000. Traders are demanding these prices when only six days have been left in Eid. However, the market trend manifests that surge in the prices may go higher.
A survey conducted by this scribe revealed that various factors had contributed to the high prices of the sacrificial animals - lack of animal farming and animal husbandry, smuggling of animals to the neighbouring countries and export of livestock. Other reasons that multiplied the prices of the sacrificial animals are inflation rate, increase in input price, transportation charges and a number of illegal taxes being taken from traders as extortion by the middlemen and town staff. According to the survey it was noticed that prices of the animals were different at the sale points designated by the CDGL including Bund Road Shahdara, Sabzazaar, Jallo, Baghbanpura, Chungi Amar Sadhu, Mutlan Road, Bhati Chowk, Badami Bagh, Sanda, Karim Park, Ravi Road, Shadbagh and Baboo Sabu.
A trader, Molla Burkh at Sadar, told The Nation that the cost of feed, labour and animal breeding had pushed the prices to higher level. He apprehended the profit margin would be less on this Eid. Another trader, Gul Sher, said the animal prices were high because of the expenses being incurred on fodder, transportation and medical treatment.