A record number of sacrificial animals are up for sale this Eid-ul-Azha due to the surplus of the animals, which were left largely unsold during last year's Eid.

The number was over 1.25 crore in 2023 and crossed 1.29 crore this year, according to Department of Livestock Services (DLS) data.

Of the animals, there are 53 lakh cows and buffaloes; 76 lakh goats and sheep; and 1,850 other mammals, it said.

The DLS data said there is a demand for 1.7 crore sacrificial animals this year.

According to businesspeople, this year's is the highest number of sacrificial animals for Eid-ul-Azha in the history of Bangladesh, which is why they would not be sold at prices as high as previous years. 

At least 21 lakh such animals were not sold across the country last year due to a drop in the purchasing capacity of the people, among other reasons.

Many of the unsold animals were also not sold elsewhere throughout the year, while some farmers may have kept them to be sold this year, which is why the number is so high, said a senior official of the DLS.

However, there is a possibility of low sales this year as well due to the high inflationary pressure on the middle and lower-middle classes – a cause for concern among cattle farmers.

In the fiscal 2022-2023, the average inflation rate was 9.02 percent, far higher than the average of six percent in recent years.

Reajul Huq, director general of the DLS, said many sacrificial animals were not sold last Eid-ul-Azha. Meanwhile, in addition to Eid, the dependence on animals, such as goats, has increased in various social events, further increasing the production for such animals at times other than the festival.

"These are the reasons behind the record number this year. The highest increase was in the number of cows," adding, "We went from door to door to collect the data. There is no manipulation here."

According to the data, while the number of cows and buffaloes saw a rise, that of goats and sheep has decreased.

The number of cows and buffaloes for this Eid-ul-Azha is 5.16 lakh higher than last year, meaning it has increased by around 11 percent – the highest increase in seven years.

On the other hand, cattle farmers said they, along with the buyers, are struggling due to the inflationary pressure and increase in production cost.

However, keeping the farmers in mind, the prices of the animals are to be kept at a tolerable level because higher prices may result in the animal remaining unsold.

Mohammad Imran Hossain, president of Bangladesh Dairy Farmers Association, the national organisation of the country's cattle farmers, said this year's number of animals was highest in the country's history.

"If you analyse DLS data of the past seven years, a constant growth in production can be seen. This record number is a result of that."

He said the supply this year will be higher than the demand and as such, the prices cannot be too high.

"The production costs have increased by 10 percent from last year, while the prices of the animals are up by only five percent."

Hossain added that for the past four or five years, they have been observing that many cattle are being illegally brought into Bangladesh from neighbouring countries. "As a result, our own farmers are facing losses."

He said they sent a letter to the livestock and fisheries ministry asking for an investigation into the matter, adding that if the government does not pay serious attention in this regard, the cattle farmers will have to keep paying for it.

Meanwhile, sacrificial animals are being sold online since 2020, when the country went into a lockdown due the Covid-19 pandemic.

Businesspeople are expecting more online sales this year compared to the last.

DLS DG Reajul said over 400,000 sacrificial animals were sold during last Eid-ul-Azha and he was expecting the number to reach 500,000 this year.