Goat shortage ahead of Bakrid causes anxiety

Hyderabad,Nov 24:Rahmat Bee is a worried woman.The Rs 3,000 her eldest son sent from his meagre salary in Dubai seems too little.She is worried that this year also,like last year,dearth of goats in the market will push up prices beyond her reach and she may not be able to offer a goat on Bakrid.Every Muslim who can afford it is required to offer a goat,or be one of the seven persons who offer a cow or camel as a sacrifice at one of the major festivals of Islam.The meat from the sacrifice is divided into three equal shares,one for the family,which offers the sacrifice,one for the relatives and the third for the poor.

Usually,the goat market springs up in major hubs in the city like Darushifa,Sayeedabad,Murgi Chowk,Towlichowki to Mehdipatnam and Erragadda for about a week prior to the day of Bakrid. Apart from these hubs, the cattle is also brought to roads and bylanes around the city.This time around,due to the GHMC polls and refusal by the civic authorities to grant permission for the makeshift tents,till Monday no cattle was available in any of the major markets.At Darushifa,only three camps were set up till Monday,in which rams and goats from the Telangana region were seen.Speaking to INN,Hassan,one of the traders,said he expected more cattle to arrive by Tuesday evening,but he saw a shortage of animals like last year.

This shortage is bound to push up prices steeply.With goat meat being sold for over Rs 200 per kg round the year,small-sized goats are expected to cost more than Rs 3000 per animal.Ahmed,another trader,said he had brought rams which cost Rs 14,000 each. He expected that these would be sold, especially when there is a shortage.The animals are brought to the city from places as far as Rajasthan and Karnataka,apart from districts in Andhra Pradesh.