The Eid of status symbols and high profit margins
Some middlemen make as much as Rs30,000 on a single animal.
ISLAMABAD:
In the cattle market, or bakra mandi, the sale of animals and accompanying prices are determined by a buyer’s attitude. The mandi is visited by people from all walks of life; for some, it simply fulfilment of religious duty but for others it is a status symbol.
Buying options include purchasing single cattle, a pair and buying both cattle and calves. The latter set of people rarely visits the market and work through local brokers instead who apparently buy cattle at significantly lower prices and resell them to make profits of anywhere from Rs20,000 to Rs30,000.
“It costs us Rs700 to Rs1,400 for a single truck to transport animals from Talagang to Islamabad,” said Falak Sher, a local cattle retailer. Local brokers, on the other hand, purchase animals from the cattle market, walk them to their destination and sell them, Sher said.
A Rawalpindi-based broker, Abid, however rejected this observation. “We buy these animals on orders from clients and make only small profit,” said Abid. He said his clients included affluent people who do not visit the market and place their orders with him.
“They want good animals and do not care for prices. Yet we cannot make a profit of [more than] Rs10,000 on a single animal,” added Abid, claiming that his client in Rawalpindi, a jeweller, had given him Rs120,000 for two cattle out of which he earned Rs18,000.
Sheru, another dealer from Rawalpindi, however, narrated a different story. He said he selects the very best animals from the cattle market and try to get them at a good bargain.
“I personally know some people in Islamabad who would buy these animals on value and beauty alone and would give me my demanded price,” said Sheru. He said in the four days of Eidul Azha he would sell 12-15 bakras, making a profit of Rs25,000 on each.
Besides the buyers, these local dealers are also a factor in determining the prices of cattle. But then, these high prices are only for exceptionally good and heavy animals. The cattle market is overflowing with all types of animals, both expensive and cheap. The price is high mostly for those who want animals for needs beyond religious duties. They are paying for more than the actual value of the animal, some would say. Others would argue beauty is priceless.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 6th, 2011.
In the cattle market, or bakra mandi, the sale of animals and accompanying prices are determined by a buyer’s attitude. The mandi is visited by people from all walks of life; for some, it simply fulfilment of religious duty but for others it is a status symbol.
Buying options include purchasing single cattle, a pair and buying both cattle and calves. The latter set of people rarely visits the market and work through local brokers instead who apparently buy cattle at significantly lower prices and resell them to make profits of anywhere from Rs20,000 to Rs30,000.
“It costs us Rs700 to Rs1,400 for a single truck to transport animals from Talagang to Islamabad,” said Falak Sher, a local cattle retailer. Local brokers, on the other hand, purchase animals from the cattle market, walk them to their destination and sell them, Sher said.
A Rawalpindi-based broker, Abid, however rejected this observation. “We buy these animals on orders from clients and make only small profit,” said Abid. He said his clients included affluent people who do not visit the market and place their orders with him.
“They want good animals and do not care for prices. Yet we cannot make a profit of [more than] Rs10,000 on a single animal,” added Abid, claiming that his client in Rawalpindi, a jeweller, had given him Rs120,000 for two cattle out of which he earned Rs18,000.
Sheru, another dealer from Rawalpindi, however, narrated a different story. He said he selects the very best animals from the cattle market and try to get them at a good bargain.
“I personally know some people in Islamabad who would buy these animals on value and beauty alone and would give me my demanded price,” said Sheru. He said in the four days of Eidul Azha he would sell 12-15 bakras, making a profit of Rs25,000 on each.
Besides the buyers, these local dealers are also a factor in determining the prices of cattle. But then, these high prices are only for exceptionally good and heavy animals. The cattle market is overflowing with all types of animals, both expensive and cheap. The price is high mostly for those who want animals for needs beyond religious duties. They are paying for more than the actual value of the animal, some would say. Others would argue beauty is priceless.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 6th, 2011.