Overview
- Markets across Pakistan and parts of India are open and busy but prices for goats, sheep, cattle and camels remain sharply elevated, deterring many ordinary buyers from completing purchases.
- Traders and market managers attribute higher tags to increased petrol and diesel bills, pricier fodder and veterinary care, higher stall rents and transport costs that have raised sellers' break-even levels.
- Butcher and slaughter fees have jumped, with first-day charges for cows and goats reported far above last year, adding thousands of rupees to the total cost of performing qurbani.
- A flash dispute at Rawalpindi’s Bhatta Chowk over a contractor-imposed exit 'slip fee' prompted scuffles and led the district administration to formally designate authorised markets and threaten fines and confiscation for illegal roadside sales.
- Supply squeezes in Mumbai, Pune and Lucknow caused by heat-related animal deaths, transport obstacles and fewer arrivals have intensified price rises in India and prompted limited government steps to ease movement and slaughter rules.