Weak purchasing power keeps buyers away from cattle markets ahead of Eid

RAWALPINDI, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th May, 2026) With only a week remaining before Eid-ul-Azha, many residents visiting cattle markets in Rawalpindi are returning home without purchasing sacrificial animals due to soaring prices and weak purchasing power.

Buyers visiting the Bhatta Chowk cattle market with their families said vendors were demanding rates beyond their financial reach.

Abdul Manan, a visitor at the market, said a goat with a live weight of around 35 kilograms, which he purchased for Rs 50,000 last year, was now being sold for as much as Rs 80,000. He said prices of sacrificial animals had increased sharply compared with last year.

Another buyer, Sardar Bashir, at the Adiala Road cattle market, said prices of goats, sheep, buffaloes and cows were excessively high, forcing many people to leave the market empty-handed. He said buffaloes and cows weighing around 100 kilograms, which were available for about Rs 150,000 last year, were now being sold for up to Rs 300,000.

Khursheed Ahmed Qureshi, a member of the board of Directors of the Livestock and Dairy Development Directorate, said online trading of sacrificial animals had expanded significantly since the Covid-19 pandemic, with nearly 70 per cent of buyers now preferring digital platforms.

He said the increasing trend of online purchasing could also explain relatively smaller crowds at physical cattle markets. According to him, online sellers were offering a 14-kilograme of goat meat for around Rs 65,000, while a 14-kilogram share in a cow or buffalo ranged between Rs 35,000 and Rs40,000. Qureshi said reduced purchasing power had also affected sales, with many buyers who previously sacrificed goats now opting for collective shares in cows or buffaloes.

Vendors attributed the rise in prices to increased transportation, feed and livestock breeding costs.

Akhtar Bhai, a calf seller from Raja Pur, said transport expenses, animal rearing costs and unofficial payments collected by some officials had contributed to higher livestock prices.

Another vendor, Azeem Butt, said the rising cost of animal feed, Cattle market fees, vaccination and transport had significantly increased business expenses this year.

A market survey indicated that traders were allowing little room for negotiation, with low-weight goats being sold between Rs 100,000 and Rs 140,000. Vendors were reportedly demanding between Rs300,000 and Rs380,000 for a pair of goats.

Sellers said rising red meat prices during the current year had also affected livestock rates. One vendor said medicines were being administered to protect animals from fever and malaria-related illnesses, which he claimed caused greater losses than Congo virus infections.

Meanwhile, district administration and cantonment authorities have directed officials to prevent the sale and purchase of sacrificial animals at unauthorised locations outside approved temporary cattle markets.

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Authorities have also been instructed to ensure proper monitoring of entry fees to facilitate buyers.

The Rawalpindi District Administration had designated locations across the district for temporary cattle markets. On the directives of Commissioner Rawalpindi Engineer Amir Khattak, the sale of animals at unauthorised sites has been banned.

Three cattle markets have been established in Attock district on Main Peshawar Road, Main Pindi Gheb Road and near Civil Hospital on CPEC Link Road. In Chakwal district, a market has been set up at Chak Naurang Stop on the Main Chakwal-Rawalpindi Road, while Talagang district has a market on Mianwali Road Main Bypass. Another cattle market has been established at Mangal Bypass near Kallar Syedan in Rawalpindi district.

In Rawalpindi district, notified sale points include sites near Bhatta Chowk, Mouza Sheikhpur, Mouza Ranial on Chakri Road and near Rawat Police Station on GT Road in Rawalpindi Cantonment. Other approved locations include the slaughterhouse on Galiana Road in Gujar Khan, near Sharif Hospital Stop on GT Road in Taxila, HIT Hathar Bazaar Timber Market Road in Taxila, Bypass Chowk Kayal in Kallar Syedan and Sakhi Sabz Wari Tangi Road in Kahuta.

The Livestock Department has established veterinary camps at cattle markets to provide free treatment and health services for sacrificial animals. An official said a large number of animals had arrived at the Bhatta Chowk market, now considered the largest cattle market in Rawalpindi.

He said veterinary teams were available round the clock to provide medical assistance for sick animals.

Meanwhile, City Traffic Police Rawalpindi has devised a special traffic management plan to maintain smooth traffic flow around cattle markets during the Eid season.

According to a CTP spokesman, more than 81 traffic personnel, including circle officers, sector in-charges, wardens and traffic assistants, had been deployed in the city and adjoining areas.

The traffic management plan covers markets at Bhatta Chowk, Mouza Ranial on Chakri Road, Galiana Road in Gujar Khan, Tangi Road in Kahuta, Mangal Bypass in Kallar Syedan and HIT Hathar Bazaar in Taxila.

Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) has launched a city-wide cleanliness and awareness campaign ahead of Eid-ul-Azha 2026.

Under the campaign, awareness camps are being established across the city to educate residents on proper disposal of sacrificial waste during the Eid holidays.

RWMC urged citizens not to dump animal waste in streets or open spaces and advised them to place waste in designated bags before disposing of it in waste containers or handing it over to sanitation workers.

The company warned that violators could face fines of up to Rs50,000 for dumping waste in open areas. /395