Bakri Eid: Amid outbreak, sacrificial goats get expensive

Mumbai, July 26: A drastic drop in supply and the closure of Deonar abattoir due to the coronavirus outbreak has spiked prices of goats for slaughter during Bakri Eid in Mumbai, social activists said on Sunday.

The price has increased from Rs 20,000 earlier to Rs 30,000 per goat now, with the sale based on weight, making it out of reach for several families who want to carry out the traditional sacrifice during the festival, they said.

With animal markets closed due to the outbreak, sellers have set up makeshifts stalls in Muslim-dominated areas, and the extra effort on their part to operate the business is resulting in exorbitant prices being demanded, an activist said.

While the state government has asked people to go online to buy sacrificial animals this year, activists said many buyers are not technology savvy enough to carry out such transactions.

"I used to buy four goats for sacrifice earlier, but can afford only one this year as the sale is based on the goat''s weight," a buyer said.

A goat seller in Kurla said, "We have come from Rajasthan, and since there are no markets this year, we have taken godowns on rent to house the goats. Since rents are very high, to avoid losses, we are selling goats by weight rather than lump-sum."

Mahim-based social activist Irfan Macchiwala said the government should allow camels for sacrifice as the ban on slaughter of cows and bullocks had restricted the market to just goats, which in turn was making it too costly for families.