Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
The economic activities surrounding Eid-ul-Azha this year are projected to exceed Tk 1.0 trillion, said Farida Akhter, adviser to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MoFL), on Monday.
She made the remark while addressing a seminar titled "Sacrificial Festival with Domestic Cattle: Initiatives to Be Taken for Cattle and Hide Management," organised by the Bangladesh Agricultural Journalists Forum (BAJF) at the KIB's 3D Auditorium in the city.
BAJF president Golam Iftekhar Mahmud chaired the event, which was moderated by its General Secretary Shahanuare Said Shaheen.
Adviser Ms Akhter said that while the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) has initially estimated transactions worth Tk 647.64 billion during Eid-ul-Azha, the total economic impact is likely to cross Tk 1.0 trillion when all indirect and associated activities are accounted for.
She said that the significance of Eid-ul-Azha should not be measured in financial terms alone, as the festival holds deep religious and emotional importance for Muslims.
Pointing to the resurgence of marginal farmers, she said that local livestock producers have made a strong comeback.
Interest in cattle and goat rearing has grown significantly in the border regions, with many households now involved in livestock production.
This growth has reduced the need for imported animals and simultaneously created employment, she noted.
Addressing the leather sector, the adviser said the government has taken steps to support rawhide preservation, including distributing salt and fixing rawhide prices. If necessary, preserved hides will be exported, she added.
Tabith Awal, BNP's National Executive Committee member and chairman of Lal Teer Livestock Development Ltd, stressed that leather-related businesses should operate throughout the year, not just around the Eid.
He also focused on the role of youth in transforming the livestock sector by appropriating digital platforms.
"Young entrepreneurs are now using mobile apps to sell cattle and even offering online butchering services," he said, calling on the government to further encourage these initiatives.
He also stressed the need for better management of the entire livestock value chain.
Samanta Sharmin, senior joint convenor of the National Citizens Party (NCP), underscored the spiritual status of animals in Islam, saying that only healthy animals should be offered for sacrifice.
She expressed concern that the falling prices of rawhide are financially weakening madrasas, which depend heavily on proceeds from Eid sacrifices.
Other speakers included Dr Md Boyjar Rahman, director (Administration), DLS; Dr Mosaddeq Hossain, former DG of the DLS; Khondoker Aminul Islam, South Asia Representative of WM Enterprise, USA; and AKM Faizur Rahman, managing director of Positive Biotech Ltd.
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com