Sheep traders beam as sales pick up on Baqrid eve

Disappointed by low footfall and poor sales, sheep traders had something to cheer about on Wednesday, as customers thronged the market for last-minute purchases on the eve of Baqrid.

Bengaluru's traditional sheep markets — Chamarajpet, HBR Layout, Neelasandra, Tilak Nagar, Shivajinagar and Tannery Road — were hives of activity throughout the day.

Syed Sameer, who has been selling sheep at Neelasandra since 2008, said he had very few customers in the last few days. "I had hoped sales would be good this year, but to my surprise, I couldn’t sell even half of what I believed I could. However, footfall today is better. Customers are trickling in," he said.

Azam Shariff, who buys sheep from different districts, agreed. "I have been trading sheep during Baqrid at the same place for 30 years now. The decline has been substantial this year. If not for today, I would have incurred huge losses," he said.

Both said their business had fallen by at least 40 per cent compared to last year. Most traders left because of low footfall, Shariff said.

Increased cattle demand

Both attributed poor sales to increased cattle demand.

Traders at HBR Layout said they had to lower prices to avoid losses. "We slashed the prices by Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 depending on the breed," said Nagaraja T N, a trader at HBR Layout.

He added that the Bannur and Yalaga breeds were still in demand despite the fall in business. Sira, Kenguri and Mandya were other breeds sold in HBR Layout.

On Tannery Road, traders dealing in the famous Bagewadi sheep breed, which is always in demand, said they had few customers.

DH spoke to at least eight traders and all said sales had dropped by about 60% compared with last year.

Traders relocate

Traders have moved out of the Chamarajpet Eidgah Maidan, which turns into a sheep market during Baqrid. Farmers and traders have moved out early and relocated to the Mysuru Road flyover.