Baqrid: With Baqrid falling on June 7, goat markets across Delhi have been filled to the brim with great aplomb as sellers flock from across the ends of the National Capital Region (NCR) and neighbouring states. From Rajasthan to Uttar Pradesh, sellers have been as keen as ever to find their way to Delhi in the hopes of selling their wares and, if not profiting, then just breaking even.
In Delhi, there are multiple major goat markets, with the one at Jama Masjid being the oldest in the national capital. With a multitude of sellers, the market, also dubbed as ‘bakra mela’, attracts sellers from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi as well. While the hype surrounding the festival has been sustained through time and generations, a seeming slump has been noted in the number of sales made by them. The sales this year have deteriorated compared to last year, sellers said.
With goats amounting to Rs 2 lakh, sellers happily get them to the national capital; however, they remain unsold owing to a dearth of buyers willing to opt for expensive options. Mohammed Zubair Malik, a goat seller from UP’s Bulandshahr, had brought an astounding number of around 50 goats to sell at the market; however, only 10 were sold while the others remained inside their pens. “I had expected to sell at least 40 of them, if not all. The ones that were sold were the cheapest goats that I had. The more expensive ones are still left in the lurch with no one willing to buy them. Moreover, many of them had only come here with the intention of a heavy bargain. Even the ones which were priced at around Rs 30,000 had to be brought down to around Rs 15,000, because we are also desperate enough to sell,” he said.
Malik added that there are not enough buyers anymore at the Jama Masjid. “There are too many other competitive markets which have grown across Delhi. We offer buyers the more expensive and quality goats, but people would rather opt for other cheaper alternatives, as it turns out,” he said while feeding his most prized possession — Punjabi — a premium Beetal goat priced at a whopping Rs 1.8 lakh. The animal has been left to asunder under Delhi’s hot sun for the past week while it remains unsold.
On the other hand, Hanif Qureshi, another goat seller from UP — this time from UP’s Bareilly — has also been fending off claims of success at the market. According to him, nobody wants to buy his goats at the selling price itself. “We have avoided selling off our wares on the pretext of the heavy bargaining that happens across the market. All of us are having to endure the aggressive bargaining that happens here. One example is that if I buy a goat at a certain price, I would want to sell it off at a slightly higher price, but even the original amount is not matched by most buyers. I can barely afford to have a space here at the market,” he said.
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Presently, Qureshi is having to pay off the Market Association at Jama Masjid for renting out the area and the police for providing them with security. “We are leaking our money from all sides. Even transportation is not cheap. Overall, I am having to pay around Rs 50,000 and some more, but I am barely making any sales. How is that fair to us?” he said.
While there remains a feeling of being cheated across the board at the Jama Masjid goat market near Meena Bazaar, the absolute opposite is seen at the Okhla Bakra Mandi.
Situated in the Dhobi Ghaat area, the situation here remains stark. Filled to the brim with buyers from across Delhi and its borders, people have flooded in, hoping to buy the best goat for their qurbaani. Unlike its Old Delhi counterpart, the Okhla market is replete with mirth as one shop sells sharbat-e-mohabbat, the other sells biryani, while another sells chaapli kebab with some rumali roti. Amid the stench of goats and bovines alike, buyers jovially bargain away with the sellers, while the latter remain obstinate with their prices.
There has never been a better sales season at Okhla, many traders here said.
Waheed, from Mewat district in Haryana, stated that his sales were even better this year than in 2024. “Sales are very good this time around. We have put the price at Rs 50,000 for the most expensive goat, but we are willing to budge to Rs 45,000. There will not be any loss as such because these are domesticated. My family and I brought them up,” he said.
While fondling his most favourite goat out of the lot, whom he has nicknamed after a national politician, he said that the response has been good with repeat customers showing up. “We have customers who have come again, and it is through them that business is thriving. Like, a customer had come yesterday and bought a goat. Now, he came again today and wants to buy a bovine as well,” he said while pointing at a buffalo he had taken to calling Shera.
Similarly, Mohammed Gulfam Qureshi, a goat seller and a native of Okhla itself, highlighted that there are no losses that he has ever suffered at the market. “Sometimes we suffer some losses on the pricing of a few of the goats, but never all of them. Otherwise, our business will go bankrupt if such a situation ever arises. The maximum discount I have also provided has only ever run up to Rs 2,000 and never more,” he said.
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Qureshi was left with only four of his goats while bringing 55 for sale at the market. The most expensive goat is priced at Rs 42,000.
