Photo: Express News
Karachi: On the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, the largest city in Karachi has become populated with livestock. This market, spread over approximately one thousand acres near the Northern Bypass, consists of 20 blocks, 16 of which are general blocks while the rest are VIP and VVIP blocks.
In the general blocks, the land and water are free, but the fee for each cow brought to the market is 4250 rupees, while a goat is being sold for 2000 rupees.
According to the spokesperson of the livestock market, Naveed Baig, this market is not just a livestock market, it is a whole city where banks, ATM machines, various restaurants, animal hospitals, and stalls for feed and accessories for animals are present.
So far, approximately 70,000 cattle, including cows, bulls, goats, and camels, have been brought to the livestock market from different regions of Punjab, Sindh, KPK, and Balochistan.
Over 100 camels have been brought from Bhitt Shah in Sindh for sacrifice, and buyers are eagerly waiting for camels of various breeds such as Lari, Sindhi, Thari, Sakkrah, Pahari, and Desi, with prices ranging from 200,000 to 1,500,000 rupees.
Along with the camel market, a separate goat market has also been set up where beautiful goats from different cities of Sindh, especially Hyderabad and Mirpur, are available. Although buyers are scarce in the market, those who are present are lamenting the high prices.
An average-weight bull is being priced at over 300,000 rupees, and bulls up to 3.5 million rupees are also available in the market.
Livestock traders from all over the country say that raising livestock is not easy, as it requires two years of care, feed, and transportation costing thousands of rupees, but buyers are not willing to understand this.
On the other hand, as night falls, the livestock market lights up, with the VVIP stalls and the hustle and bustle of the animals adding to the atmosphere. Women, children, and young people are also coming to the market to see the large and small livestock.
The livestock market has been made secure from any kind of theft with the help of CCTV cameras, and security check posts have been set up in the surrounding areas.