Photo: BSS

KHULNA, April 27, 2026 (BSS) – About 14.47 lakh sacrificial animals are available against the demand of 10.79 lakh animals for Eid-ul-Azha in the division.

Director of the Department of Livestock Services (DoLS), Khulna Dr Mohammad Golam Haider told BSS that this year the demand for sacrificial animals is around 10.79 lakh whereas last year it was around 8.29 lakh.

But this year, there are 14.46 lakh animals ready to minimise the price of the sacrificial animals ahead of holy Eid-ul-Azha.

Now 100 per cent of the local demand can be met with local animals as the division will have a total of 3, 67,360 surplus animals, a sharp rise of 74.61 percent than its demand, he said.

As the supply is sufficient against the demand, the price is likely to come down significantly, he hoped.

"Before Eid-ul-Azha, huge sacrificial animals will be brought to makeshift cattle markets of 10 districts in the division and Khulna city as well. So, we don't have any need to import cattle from other countries to meet Khulna's demand," he said.

According to the DoLS sources, a total of 14, 46,809 sacrificial animals have been reared locally against the demand of 10, 79,449 which is surplused by 3, 67,360 in 10 districts of the division. 

This year's sacrificial animals included ox 1, 30,427, bullock 32,027, cow 82,302 buffalo 4,089, goat 8, 51,370 sheep 51,173, and others 216.

A good number of the cattle have been reared in 1, 38,054 farms in 10 districts and a lot of people also reared cattle in their homestead, he added.

This year's animal price will be a bit higher due to feed prices, said Sahabuddin Ahmed, owner of a farm in Samantasena village in Rupsha upazila. 

Md Didarul Alam, a farmer from Dumuria Upazila, said he has been raising seven native cattle for about a year using only grass, maize, wheat bran and local feed, which keeps the animals healthy and attractive to buyers.

Another farmer named Liakat Hossain continued his family's livestock tradition and later expanded into commercial farming with his brothers on eight kathas of land in tipna village. Their farm now includes cattle as well as local and foreign goat. 

At the same time, cattle markets have begun to appear across all districts of the Khulna division, although traders and lease holders say full-scale buying and selling activity is likely to be started within another week.

In rural areas, many households are still raising one or two indigenous cattle, while commercial farms are focusing on fattening breeds such as Sahiwal, Sindhi, and cattle for sacrificial purposes. 

After meeting local demand, a significant number of these animals will be supplied in other parts of the country. Ahead of the holy Eid-ul-Azha, farmers are taking care of their livestock at household levels and at farm level.