LAHORE: While bans on livestock markets ahead of Eid Al-Adha have sent shivers through Pakistan’s cattle traders whose annual income often depends on the upcoming holiday, stockmen who keep special and expensive sacrificial breeds of cattle say their animals “sell like hotcakes.”
Earlier this week, Pakistani authorities banned open-air livestock markets in cities to contain the spread of coronavirus, allowing people to buy and sell animals only at 700 designated marketplaces on the outskirts of urban areas across the country. Farmers who keep ordinary cattle fear they will not be able to sell their stock, but those who raise special Eid animals say their business is thriving despite all restrictions.
“They sell like hotcakes. I have 125 animals and 30 have already been sold, while people are in contact online for the remaining animals,” Asim Butt, who keeps special cattle breeds, told Arab News.
At his farm in Jaranwala in Punjab, about 110 kilometers from Lahore, Butt raises big beef cattle such as the Brahman, Bhagnari, Dhanni, Cholistani, Rajasthani and Sahiwal that grow to the weight of 500 kilograms and can reach even one ton.
Every breed has its own specialty. Barahman is the biggest of them all and can sell for millions of rupees. Rajasthani is known for its swiftness and is used in traditional cow racing. Dhanni is famous for its strength, while Bhagnari has long horns, big eyes and a leaner body structure, which livestock aficionados praise for its looks.
The special animals need special care and feed. Butt gives them milk, almonds and butter for their hides to stay shiny, eyes to be bright and ears to grow long, he said, “Their diet is a special mixture of fiber, protein, fat and some steroids that help them gain weight. These breeds attract customers with their beauty and heavy weight.”
“Beauty lovers pay a price many times greater than the value of meat, because of the beauty and weight of the animal.”
One of Butt’s buyers, businessman Sarim Syed told Arab News that for Eid Al-Adha it is not the meat of the sacrificial animals that matters but its beauty and emotions related to religious observance, for which he is willing to pay a hefty sum of money.
“I love big and beautiful animals to sacrifice in the way of Allah. I can spend 2 million rupees to buy a beautiful animal. We don’t pay for the flesh but for the emotions and love we have for big animals,” he said.
With loyal customers who seek top quality, Butt’s livestock business, which he started only three years ago, is thriving, especially ahead of Eid Al-Adha. But other breeders, those who cater to less affluent buyers, fear that this year’s Festival of Sacrifice will not bring them bounty.
“Our business is buying small animals a year or six months before Eid Al-Adha raising them at village farms till the ZilHajj moon is sighted. We bring them to the market and sell them. It covers the whole year’s expenses,” said Saif Ali Awan, a livestock seller at the Harbanspura cattle market in Lahore.
“Now the pandemic has stopped everyone from setting up markets,” he told Arab News, “Our animals remain at farms. I fear big losses and that life next year will be difficult.”
