PESHAWAR: Sales of sacrificial animals peaked here on Tuesday, two days before the Eidul Azha festival.

However, visitors to cattle markets complained about inflated animal rates.

Cattle sellers claimed that insufficient supply from Punjab and Sindh provinces had driven the prices high.

Visitors insisted that at a time when the escalating inflation had squeezed their buying power,

they got really disappointed to learn about unreasonably high animal rates.

Rafiq Haji, an elderly person from Pashikhera area, told Dawn that he had been roaming the Sarband cattle market along with members of his group since morning but hadn’t found the sacrificial animal of choice as the prices were too high to be afforded.

“If we don’t get the animal here, the other cattle market(s) will be our destination,” he said.

People complain of inflated prices, sellers claim poor supply from Punjab, Sindh

The visitor claimed that many people won’t sacrifice animal this Eid due to record price hike.

Haji Awal Khan said the essential commodities and utility charges had skyrockets and so had the prices of sacrificial animals to the misery of the common man.

He said it wasn’t possible for the people to offer Eid sacrifice.

Another cattle market visitor, Raham Dil Khan, said he wanted to slaughter a buffalo as the lumpy skin disease had stained the skin of cows and bulls.

“I fear the infected animals, so won’t take risks and will go for a buffalo,” he said.

The visitor, however, complained that the prices of buffaloes had gone through the roof.

“A buffalo weighing around two maunds is selling for at least Rs0.1 million,” he said.

He said livestock traders exploited the situation to the misery of buyers.

Cattle seller Trader Adil Khan claimed the prices would go up further, so people should buy sacrificial animals without delay.

“The prices of animals won’t come down even on the first day of Eid. The rates are very high in the Punjab and Sindh cattle markets, so they have driven the prices up in Peshawar and other parts of the province,” he said.

The trader said the people wanted to buy animals at low rates but sellers couldn’t do so.

“Cattle markers have visitors in large numbers but serious buyers are a few. People mostly ask about the prices, take selfies with animals, and go away,” he said.

Mr Khan said animals with lumpy skin disease marks on their skin scared customers away.

He said many people were interested in buying buffaloes for health reasons.

“Currently, buffalo rates are so high that people from the middle class can’t afford them,” he said.

Meanwhile, cattle traders insisted that “moneyed” people preferred goats and sheep for health reasons as they feared that the other sacrificial animals were infected with cattle skin disease.

The visitors complained that they’re charged excessive fees for animal purchase.

They said the highest fee of Rs1,500 per animal was collected from them at the Ring Road cattle market.

The visitors also said van drivers had increased transportation charges from Rs500 to Rs1,500- Rs2,000 per animal.

They said that no such fee was collected from them at the Palosai weekly market.

The people also complained about a lack of facilities at cattle markets and demanded the intervention of authorities for their relief.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2023