VILLUPURAM: The Gingee weekly cattle market fetched a whopping five crore rupees in four hours from sales of goats and sheep ahead of Ramzan on Friday. This is the highest the wholesale market has collected since the pandemic, say traders.
"The goats from Gingee are special since they are naturally reared. Traders from across Tamil Nadu, including Theni, Madurai, Krishnagiri, Thanjavur, Tiruchy, Vellore, Ambur, Tiruvannamalai, Cuddalore and neighbouring states including Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh compete for these goats," said S Senthil Kumar, a farmer from Perumpoondi.
On Friday, farmers and traders gathered at the weekly market at 3 am, said sources, adding that cattle rearers and breeders had brought up to 10,000 goats for sale. According to Habib Rahman, a merchant from Thanjavur, "The sale of goats was held in full swing. In this week's market, held during Ramzan, a pair of goats were sold between Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000, sheep between Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000 and a pair of Kurumb Aadu (a breed of goat) between Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000."
Before the market's dispersal at 7 am, goats and sheep worth five crore rupees were sold, traders and farmers said. Cattle rearers and breeders at the market shared their happiness over a good profit, since this was the highest they made since the pandemic in 2020. While the years 2020 and 2021 saw a punctured business, 2022 witnessed the collection of three crore rupees from the sale.