Cattle markets in Dubai and Sharjah are now witnessing a significant influx of sacrificial animals ahead of Eid Al Adha.
Traders are selling livestock imported from Australia, India, Pakistan and Somalia. A variety of animals including goats, sheep and cows were imported to meet local needs ahead of the upcoming religious festival.
However, the current prices seem a bit high and traders believe that the prices may come down in the near future. According to the current prices of sacrificial animals for Eid al-Adha, the price of a goat starts from 500 dirhams and goes up to 1,400 dirhams.
“A Somali goat weighing 7 kg costs around 500 dirhams while a large goat of the same breed weighing up to 15 kg costs around 800 dirhams,” said Mohammed Ateeq of Al Kammas Livestock Exchange in Al Qusais.
“Similarly, the price of goats in India starts at 800 dirhams for an 8kg goat and can go up to 1,200 dirhams for larger animals,” Ateeq said.
Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, is celebrated to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son as per Allah’s command. To commemorate this act of faith and devotion, Muslims across the world perform the ritual of sacrifice by slaughtering goats, sheep, cows and camels.
The meat of the sacrificed animals is distributed among family, friends and those in need to ensure that the joy of Eid is shared with the less fortunate as well.
Traders said the first batch of animals has arrived in Dubai and is now available in the market. However, more batches are expected to arrive early next month.
Traders are optimistic that prices may fall as the market becomes saturated with animals in the run up to Eid al-Adha. This possible price drop is due to an expected increase in supply, which may increase competition and drive prices down.
“We received the first batch of sacrificial animals last week and are expecting to receive another batch within the next two weeks. The last batch is expected to arrive by June 10, but prices may fall depending on demand and supply,” said Irshad Ahmed of livestock trading house Al Ittihad.
“Currently we only have Indian and Somali goats and the rest are sold out. We have only very limited quantities coming in. The Pakistani variety will be available next week,” Ahmed said.
Traders said there will be a high demand for bulls this season as people want a lot of meat. “The prices of goats have also gone up, as have cattle,” said Ismail Sheikh, a cattle dealer at Al Qusais livestock market.
“Prices start from 4,000 dirhams for cattle weighing over 150kg and go up to 8,000 dirhams for bigger cattle.”