VIJAYAWADA: With Eid al-Adha (Bakrid) round the corner, butchers and sheep rearers from neighbouring Guntur district thronged the city on Sunday and made brisk business. However, the price of sacrificial goats and sheep has gone up by nearly 40 per cent this year.
According to sources, around 5,000 to 7,000 goats and sheep were sold in the livestock markets near Panja Centre, Arundalpet, Labbipet, Sanath Nagar and Wynchipet during last week as Qurbani, as the sacrifice of a goat, is an integral part of the Bakrid festival. On Sunday, a large number of Muslims thronged the markets to purchase the meat of sacrificial animals of different exotic sheep and goat breeds from Macherla, Ongole and Cherukupalli near Tenali in Guntur district.
Sheep in the price range of Rs 18,000 to Rs 40,000 were available in livestock markets in different parts of the city, while goat prices increased by Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000 as compared to last year.
‘’No matter what price is decided by the butchers and sheep rearers, it is our tradition to feed the poor and practice charity during Bakrid. We won’t compromise in purchasing the meat, but when compared to the previous year, the size and weight of goats and sheep has reduced substantially as the rearers might be feeling the pinch of drought’’, said Sk Nanne Babu, a customer at the livestock market near Labbipet.
‘’The prices of sheep have increased by Rs 4,000-6,000 by this year, due to drought-like conditions in Palnadu region of Guntur district, where the renowned Macherla breed sheep is procured from. This year, sheep weighing between 15 to 25 kg were sold at around Rs 18,000 to Rs 40,000 depending on its shape and structure,’’ said Yasin Mohammad, a sheep rearer at Labbipet, who has been in the meat business for over a decade.
Commenting on the other reasons for the steep increase in the price of sheep and goats, a sheep rearer from Ongole named Shabbir Shaik who has set up a shop at Panja Centre said, ‘’Severe drought during the Summer months in Prakasam district and incessant rains soon after, have played havoc and made our lives miserable. On average, it takes at least ten months for rearing sheep and costs us around Rs 20,000 for buying its fodder. Transportation and other costs have gone up and traders have set up markets in rural areas, thereby resulting in the steep hike in the prices of sheep and goats.“This year, we expect we would earn at least Rs 5 to 10 lakh or else the amount which we invested will be wasted,” he added.