Eid Al Adha: Rising temperatures hit ‘bakri mandis’, sellers complain of low footfall

Eid Al Adha: Rising temperatures have hit the multiple goat markets in Delhi with lower footfall and decreased sales in the run up to Eid al Adha, which starts from Sunday evening.

The national capital is home to multiple ‘bakri mandis’ with the markets at Jama Masjid, Okhla Dhobi Ghaat and Ghazipur being the biggest. However, despite being the biggest markets, sales are sluggish even as the festival draws closer. According to the sellers, the problems are fairly clear cut — the high temperatures have stopped people from visiting the markets.

Qayyum, 52, who had also visited the market in 2023, says the trip has gone waste this time.

“There is no point coming here this time around. Nobody is willing to buy the goats. As it is, the prices that I have kept are fairly low, even lower than last year. If nobody comes to the market then what is the point of reducing the prices,” he said.

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As of now, he said that he has managed to sell only 50 goats in the past three days.

“Last year I had sold over 200 goats in the same span,” he said.

The goats at the market were being sold at fairly diverse price tags with Rs 14,000 being the lowest price. Others were being sold at higher rates of Rs 48,000 while some were priced at over a lakh.

However, despite the diversity of price tags, the crowd kept away.

“We mostly sell our goats at night. The days pass by at a snail’s pace most times but this time around, the nights are equally hot. This has led to a decline in our sales too,” said Abdul Baig Khan, 45, who had opened his shop on the back side of the market.

He added that customers usually do not visit shops at the back as much, since they mostly come till the entrance of the lane where most of the sellers pay a higher rent and set up shop.

The resident from Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun district highlighted that owing to the lack of customers, the return home will also be a matter of contention.

“As it is we barely make enough profit by selling goats since we also have to return and arranging transport is a major hindrance. However, this time around, I think that whatever we have made will all be poured into paying for transport, getting the goats back home,” he said.

The scene at Okhla Mandi was not any different.

Shahnawaz, 28, has been selling knives and cleavers at the market for the past two years. However, this year, his cleavers remain cleanly stacked against each other with the inventory returning home in the same quantity as it had arrived in the market.

“It’s not like the sales are not happening but it is the least I have seen in the market. My father also used to set up shop here before I took over. He used to tell me that there would not be any space to breathe due to the crowd here but now, there is barely anyone coming here,” he said.

However, first-timer Shehroz struck gold at the mandi as he had already sold 35 goats in the past three days.

“I did not come here with much hope and honestly, I did not come here with a lot of goats either unlike others. I am happy with the amount I have earned till now,” said the 22-year-old.

Presently, the mandi has also been witness to a goat, decked up with multiple garlands and a tika gracing its face. It is being sold at a price of Rs 1 crore. The seller, Abdul Qazi, 48, claims, “The sacrifice of this goat will fix all of the person’s sorrow and problems in their life since a priest owned it before I got it.”

The India Meteorological Department had predicted that heat wave conditions are set to prevail till June 20.