Gabtoli cattle market gathers pace despite rain as mid-priced cows draw buyers

Despite rain and muddy conditions, cattle trading gathered pace at the capital's Gabtoli market today (26 May), with small and medium-sized cows selling the most.

A visit to the market between 11:30am and 1:30pm found medium-sized cows selling the most, with buyers mainly looking for cattle priced between Tk1.3 lakh and Tk2.5 lakh.

Heavy rain began around 11:30am and continued for nearly an hour, leaving large parts of the market muddy and waterlogged.

However, sales continued as sellers managed cattle under tarpaulins while buyers moved around carrying umbrellas.

Rows of cattle filled the market, with thousands brought from different districts. Sellers offered small, medium and large cows across the market, which was almost full. But most buyers were seen looking for cattle within affordable budgets.

Mohammad Monsur, who came from Mirpur, bought a cow for Tk1.3 lakh.

"After visiting several markets, I finally bought one from Gabtoli today. The price felt slightly high, but I liked the cow," he said.
Another buyer, Zainal, said his group planned to perform the sacrifice jointly in seven shares, with a budget of Tk2.4 lakh.

"If everyone shares the cost together, it becomes more affordable. That is why we are looking for a medium-sized cow," he said.
Mohammad Shahin came from Mohammadpur with his brothers and friends to buy five cows.

"We will buy five cows. Our budget is Tk3 lakh to Tk3.5 lakh. But sellers are not reducing prices much for big cows. The cows we like are priced between Tk6 lakh and Tk7 lakh," he said.

Nearby cattle seller Abdul Wahab, who brought cattle from Faridpur three days ago, said he would not raise big cows anymore as buyers were unwilling to pay expected prices.

"Buyers are not offering proper prices for big cows this year. Small and medium cows would have sold faster," he said.

Wahab said buyers were offering around Tk3.5 lakh for one of his large cows, but he was unwilling to sell it below Tk7 lakh.

Another seller, Mohammad Shafik, has been staying at the market for four days with 25 cattle owned by his employer.

He said three cows had already been sold for Tk3.5 lakh each, while he expected the remaining cattle to sell at an average price of around Tk3 lakh.

"We expect more buyers later in the day. Sales should increase further then," Shafik said.

Sellers said rain caused some inconvenience, but buyer turnout did not fall. Rather, crowds were growing as Eid-ul-Adha drew closer.

The country will celebrate Eid-ul-Adha on 28 May.