Hyderabad: With a fortnight left for Eid ul Adha – popularly known as Bakri Eid – the festival of sacrifice, prices of sacrificial animal, particularly sheep, are likely to go up as traders estimate the prices to shoot up due to rising costs.
Muslims constitute about 40 per cent in the core Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area, which including the Hitec City and surrounding areas has a population of around 1.1 crore people. About 2.5 lakh sheep or goats are sacrificed every year during Bakri Eid in Hyderabad alone. In districts, the number ranges between 20,000 and 1 lakh, said traders.
The business turnover for Bakri Eid in Hyderabad and Telangana runs into crores of rupees and attracts several locals to become traders of the sacrificial animal.
Cattle traders from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra bring their animals to sell at temporary markets that are set up every year in Hyderabad, especially due to the high demand. Biggest of the Bakri Eid markets are at Mehdipatnam and Jiyaguda. Other places where one can buy animals for Bakri Eid are Balapur, Falaknuma, Kalapather, Langer Houz, Chanchalguda, Khilwat, Mallepally and Bowenpally.
Prices to rise for Bakri Eid by over Rs 1000
Last year, the average price for a ram or sheep before Bakri Eid weighing around 10 kilograms was around Rs. 10,000 and for a goat of similar weight was around Rs. 9,000. “This year, due to increase in prices of diesel and huge demand, prices will increase between Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 2,000. Traders went to different districts and handed over advance to the shepherds and are awaiting delivery,” said Syed Shahabuddin, a trader at Jiyaguda market.
Although the sheep traders from various places come and sell the animal at the temporary markets in the city, many local businesses and groups of youngsters also do seasonal business before Bakri Eid in hope of making some money. “Friends together pool an amount between Rs. 5 and Rs. 6 lakhs and if all the animals are sold earn a profit of around Rs. 1 lakh within three days,” said Soheib, who trades in sheep during Bakri Eid at Balapur.
Moreover, with cattle prices sharply increasing in view of restrictions of cattle transportation and illegal gau rakshak stopping vehicles, people are now preferring to sacrifice sheep or goats on Bakri Eid. A few of traders who previously sold cattle are now preferring sheep to avoid risk of losing animals to police cases and gau rakshaks.
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