Though the traditional markets still remain the key source of charm for cattle collection, digital platforms, like previous four years, bring greater comfort to consumers in buying their sacrificial animals ahead of Eid-ul-Adha.
There are growing numbers of consumers who prefer buying sacrificial animals through online portals to avoid hassles in traditional cattle markets which is very time-consuming one, officials said.
Both seasoned cattle traders and occasional traders are active on digital platforms to sell their cattle. Some online sites offer photos and details of the animals.
"I'm not a cattle trader but in our family we rear cattle for our own need and sometimes we sell if we have extra during Eid-ul-Adha," Kawser Hamid, a private university student of Chattogram, told UNB who put the image of a cattle on Bikroy.com for sale.
He puts the price tag of the cow - Lal bahadur - at Tk 499,999.
"I'm getting good feedback. Many people came to our place to see the cow. Manager of a big industrial unit also came and wanted to buy it at Tk 4 lakh against my asking price of 5 Lakh," Kawser Hamid said.
Bengal Meat, an export-oriented meat supplier, offered various types of cattle ahead of Eid-ul-Adha under its 'Qurbani-Live Cattle' offer.
"We had a stock of 400 cattle and all are sold out," Head of Marketing of Bengal Meat HUM Mehedi Sajjad told.
He said the feedback they got this year is much better than the previous years. "It's a very encouraging sign."
The lowest price of cattle Bengal Meal sells was 54,000 while the highest one was Tk 2.24 lakh, Mehedi Sajjad said.
General Secretary of e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB) Muhammad Abdul Wahed Tomal said the sales of cattle on digital platforms are growing every year.
"We don't have the exact data yet on sales of this year but I can tell you it is growing every year," he told.
Responding to a question, Tomal said more than 30 percent of total cattle sales are now being sold through online.
Online outlets offering sacrificial cattle have gained popularity in recent years and there are numbers of e-commerce sites and meat brands providing this service, including home delivery.
"Still, I prefer going to cattle markets. It offers many options though it is a time-consuming one," said Ahsan Uddin who will visit cattle markets with his elder brother.
Compared to other countries, Bangladesh is a late entrant into e-Commerce, officials said adding that even then this sector observed tremendous growth within a short time. -UNB
