LAHORE: Punjab expects a business of around Rs110 billion of sacrificial animals till the third day of Eidul Azha this month, which is Rs20 billion (20 per cent) more than that of last year.

Shahpur Kanjran cattle market -- Punjab’s biggest sale point of sacrificial animals and 11 others established in Lahore and others in its districts of Kasur, Sheikhupura and Nankana have alone been projected to have business of nearly Rs30 billion (approximately) this year, Dawn has learnt.

“At present, the most reliable data we started documenting is related to last year’s sacrificial animals’ Eid business at Shahpur Kanjran market. The rest we can only estimate or project,” Lahore Division Cattle Market Management Company Chief Operating Officer Rehan Ahmad told Dawn on Tuesday.

“I think this year we cannot go more than 20 per cent up than the last year’s animals’ trade due 50 to 60 per cent increase in the animals’ price, sky-rocketing prices, impact of Covid and other issues,” he added.

According to a report compiled by the company, a subsidiary of the Punjab local government and community development department, Shahpur Kanjran market was equipped with various systems last year including manual and digital counting of the animals (small and big) which entered the market during 21 days, collection of animal and parking fee from the sellers / traders and on-average animal price analysis.

The report reveals that 125,580 small / medium / large animals (goats, cows, calves, sheeps, camels etc) were sold for Rs5.6 billion. The total number of animals sold include 444 sold through an app introduced by the company.

“In addition to this, Lahore had 12 animal sale points established by the Metropolitan Corporation where a huge animal trade valuing around Rs20 billion was witnessed last year. So I can comfortably say that the total animal sale volume last year was almost Rs25 billion in Lahore metropolitan city alone,” he explained. “And this year, we can project it as Rs30 billion approximately.”

He said, last year, Multan, Bahawalpur, DG Khan, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Sargodha and Rawalpindi divisions roughly witnessed the animal trade valuing Rs65 billion.

“So the total animal trade was almost Rs90 billion (Rs65 billion plus Rs25 billion) last year that may touch a figure of Rs110 billion - 20 percent more than the last year,” Rehan added.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2021