The sale of goats for the Bakri Eid proceed to gone down in Surat with the continuing Covid-19 pandemic.
According to merchants, the enterprise noticed a 20 per cent fall this 12 months as many outstation merchants didn’t come as a result of pandemic.
Several believers carry out kurbani (slaughtering of goats, buffaloes or sheeps) on the event of Bakri Eid, which falls on Wednesday this 12 months — prompting many goat sellers, even from exterior the state together with Rajasthan and Punjab, to achieve Surat forward of the event.
Surat metropolis additionally mandi for promoting goats –Sachin Bakra Mandi — which has been operating for a very long time.
President of Surat Sachin Bakra Mandli Munaf Khambati stated, “Along with small mandlis which comes up ten days before the Bakri Eid, we are the major suppliers of goats in Surat round the year. Last year we sold 20,000 goats during this period, while it dipped further this year as we have only sold 12,000 so far. However, before the pandemic, we used to sell 25,000 to 30,000 goats during the 10 days ahead of Bakri Eid.”
He added, “The price of goats ranges from Rs 15,000- Rs 32,000. This year, instead of spending money buying goats, people have opted for hissewali kurbani, where the organisation will give them meat after getting the goats slaughtered for cooking.”
Aasif Malek, a lawyer from Surat, stated, “Prior to the pandemic, we have been doing kurbani of two goats. Last 12 months, we managed to buy one goat and this 12 months we have now given cash for hisse wali kurbani. We can not afford to buy a goat for Rs 15,000, so we paid Rs 5000 in hissewali kurbani.
A make-shift market has been erected at an open floor at Bharatnagar in Limbayat, the place over 25 merchants who had from Rajasthan are promoting their goats. Earlier such small mandis could possibly be discovered in numerous areas like Chowk Bazaar, Zampa Bazaar, Bhatena forward of Bakri Eid, however this 12 months, solely Limbayat has one.
Among the merchants is Zakir Sindhi (60), who has been coming to Surat for the final 20 years from Jodhpur in Rajasthan.
“Before the pandemic, we used to bring a stock of 200 goats to sell in the Surat market, and earned profit of Rs. 3,000- Rs. 4,000 on every goat. But this year, the margin has gone down to Rs 1,000-Rs 1,500 per goat. We have to take care of the transportation costs of the goats, along with their daily food and other expenses… This year we have brought only 100 goats and 20 of them are yet to be sold,” he stated.
Another goat vendor Jagdish Meena a resident of Chittorgarh in Rajasthan, who used to promote goats within the small mandi is now seen standing on the footpath at Chowk Bazaar space along with his kinfolk promoting goats.
“This year we have not booked space in the mandi. We can’t afford to pay the rent for ten day now. We also compromised on the prices of the goats but 10 goats are still left unsold. Earlier we had made a pucca house at my native place with the money earned from the Surat market after selling goats, but this year we suffered loss,” says Jagdish hoping for enterprise to enhance in 2022.
Jaleel Shaikh, a Limbayat resident who takes care of the open floor at Bharatnagar, says the variety of merchants coming from exterior has gone down this 12 months.
“We had a few traders earlier from Punjab, but this year they did not come. Around 22 trucks loaded with 2,100 goats have come from Rajasthan, out of which around 300 goats are still unsold. Last year, at our open ground mandi, we had got stock of around 3,000 goats, with 35 trucks and before the pandemic, at our place goats over 5,000 in numbers were sold. With the drop in sales, we have also reduced the charges taken from traders. We have made all the arrangements including sheds, water facilities and toilet blocks for the traders, who sleep in the same tent. ”
