Sharp fall in cattle prices as flood-hit farmers flock markets

HYDERABAD: Cattle price in the flood-hit areas have decreased by around 50 percent as farmers from the nearby villages flock the cattle markets to sell whatever they have saved from the recent floods.
A farmer Mohammad Usman said he went to sell two young bulls in order to meet financial needs, but he was shocked to see that local animal traders offered half the market price for his cattle.
On the other hand, the traders have said that there are plenty of animals coming from flooded areas, thus, bringing the market rates down.
Usman belongs to a village in Matiari district, where residents saw rising pressure of floodwater at embankments.
He told The News that he was offered Rs70,000 for his pair of bull, a month ago, but he declined and fixed Rs100,000 for the pair. Now, the same traders have offered Rs50,000 for the pair. Additionally, the traders have sent a message to other herders that they are under threat and should sale the assets to avoid any loss.
The markets are flocked by animals and traders, who are buying truck loads from the farmers. “The farmers in the flood affected areas have lost everything, including livelihood and shelter and want to sell their animals to meet the needs at this difficult time,” Saeen Bakhsh Kalhoro, a local animal trader in Hala said.
“It is an abrupt fall of prices of animals, which has hit herders,” he added.
Traders from Karachi and other cities are travelling to these cattle markets to buy animals from the flood-hit areas, and to hoard them for the upcoming Eidul Azha.
For that purpose, the local agents are being paid Rs200 to Rs500 per animal by the traders. The agents have skills to measure the prices of big and small animals of all ages, the animal trader told.
He further said the traders have a sense to recognize animals from flooded and non-flooded areas and they fix the prices as per the status. Kalhoro called it an attractive season for traders of urban cities.
Despite tall claims by the Sindh government, not a single relief camp is working in the flood-hit areas to attract displaced families and their animals.
Hundreds of people, who came out on their own or were rescued after inundation, are staying helplessly at roadsides, railway tracks and embankments without proper shelter and food stuff.
At least 1.5 million people are reported to have been affected in the catchment area in 14 districts, which are close to the river Indus.
The majority of these affected people have come from low-income communities, landless farmers and shepherds, residing in the forest areas.
Some reports have revealed that the local flood affectees are being supported by philanthropists, who are providing them with cooked food and ration. However, there is no fodder available for the livestock, which may be a huge loss if government doesn’t realize it sooner.
There is no exact figure of animal population in the flood-hit catchment area, but Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) claims to have rescued a total of 647,704 animals, including small and big animals, from the entire catchment area spreading over 2.2 million acres of land.
PDMA has further revealed that a total of 907,941 people have been saved from the inundated areas.
Total relief camps established in the areas are around 306,061, as per PDMA claim, but as this scribe visited, hardly a few people could be seen brought to the camps. They were crying for food, ration and potable water.
Similar to the loss of animals, hari activists are crying for crop cost burden. They said sharecroppers (peasants) have to pay all the costs from plough, land levelling, purchasing seed, fertilizer and labour for cultivation of crop. While, landlord is considered as a silent partner, who grabs major chunk of the value of product after harvesting.
Zulfiqar Shah, joint director Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER), whose organization is advocating the peasants’ rights, has blamed the government, saying, “Flood is a frequent phenomenon, but the poor people end up paying the price.”
Aly Ercelan, a renowned economist has suggested the government to give permanent shelter to the poor people, who live behind river embankments. This method, as per his opinion, “will require redistribution of land,” and it will improve agricultural productivity and ecological responsibility.