Traders disappointed with big cows, returning empty-handed!

Eid-ul-Azha is knocking on the door. Only one more day is left. Last-minute sales are in full swing at the Gabtoli cattle market. The market is bustling with the buying and selling of small and medium-sized cows. But right in the middle of that crowd, large, strong, fat cows stand in a corner—as if waiting for their own forehead. No one moves forward, no one asks for the price, no one turns a blind eye.

Farmer Nawab Ali has come to the capital from Khajanagar, Kushtia, with seven huge cows. He has been standing in the market for three days. He has been wandering around looking for buyers. But the results—in the ground. The disappointment in his voice was clear, “I sold two cows, but let alone make a profit, the cost will not be met. I told them the price of one cow was 15 lakhs, one said 8 lakhs. How can I leave at such a loss? Now it seems that not selling the cow is a loss!”

Another farmer from Meherpur, Khalilu Rahman, almost cried, “I feel like I have done something wrong by bringing a big cow! No one sees it, no one asks the price. Everyone is running after small cows. Are there no people in this country who can buy big cows?”

A tour of the market showed that buyers were coming to the market in groups. Some came alone, some with their entire families. Md. Yasin, a resident of Shyamoli, said, “Yesterday I saw a cow, but I could not buy it. Today I have no choice but to buy it. But I do not dare to look at a big cow. The price is sky-high. There is a war between preference and affordability.”

Habibur Rahman bought the cow. He said, “I bought a small cow for 110,000 taka. But the pickup truck is asking for 3,000 taka to take it home! So I decided to walk. What’s the harm in taking a little trouble for the joy of Eid?”

Standing in another corner was a cow seller named Idris. Anger and pride were pent up in his throat, “I sold three cows during the week. The rest of the cows are just standing there staring. Far from making a profit, if I could have covered the cost, I would have let the cow go. Now it seems like all the rich people have disappeared. It’s hard to understand what’s going on!”

Walking along the south side of the market, I saw some huge cows—Shahiwal and Friesian breeds. There was a kind of despair in their eyes. The people who came to the market looked at it for a while and then went the other way. It was almost as if there was no sale of big cows.

Zakirul Alam, who is in charge of Hasil Ghar No. 2 in Gabtoli, said, “Small cows are being sold more. Big cows are being sold very less—one or two out of a thousand cows are being sold. People are not as interested in big cows as they used to be.”

Finally, this market is not just a place for buying and selling—it is a place where many farmers’ year-long dreams, labor, and love are mixed together. If big cows are not sold, it is not only a business loss, but also the hope with which someone has raised the cows day and night, fed them, and treated them is shattered.

Amidst this despair, one question is on everyone’s lips—is there no one in this country who can buy a cow worth 10 lakh taka?