High transportation costs drive up animal prices

People thronged cattle markets to buy sacrificial animals, but many of the animals remained unsold due to their sky-high prices. After receiving their salaries, government and private sector employees also visited the markets on the first official holiday on Wednesday. However, most of them seemed to complain about inflated animal rates, while cattle sellers claimed that insufficient supply from Punjab and Sindh provinces had driven the prices high. Sellers said that cattle markets had a large number of visitors, but serious buyers were few. People mostly inquired about the prices, took selfies with animals, and left. Meanwhile, cattle traders insisted that affluent people preferred goats and sheep for health reasons, as they feared that other sacrificial animals were infected with cattle skin disease. A visit to different sale points also revealed that the price of a normal-sized goat, sheep, or lamb ranged from Rs65,000 to Rs75,000, while a medium-sized cow and calf ranged from Rs140,000 to Rs300,000. “Transporting animals from South Punjab to cities like Lahore, Rawalpindi, or Faisalabad has become a pricey affair,” said Imran Ali, a livestock trader from Narang Mandi. When asked about the high prices, he said. Published in The Express Tribune, June 29th, 2023.

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