DHAKA, July 16, 2019 (BSS) – The government has decided not to allow any kind of cattle to enter the country through the border areas ahead of the holy Eid-ul-Azha to ensure fair prices of the sacrificial animals.
The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting held at the conference room of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock here today with State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Ashraf Ali Khan Khosru in the chair.
“The import of the Indian cattle has significantly been reduced as the country is now self-sufficient in meat production,” the state minister said in the meeting, said a press release.
In previous years, it said, around 24-25 lakh cattle were annually brought to the country, but the number came down to only 92,000 in 2018.
The meeting noted that the country has nearly 1.18 crore eligible sacrificial animals and the ministry has taken all out initiatives to ensure supply and security of the healthy sacrificial animals to the people ahead of the Eid-ul Azha.
Meanwhile, the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) has ensured the availability of some 45.82 lakh sacrificial animals like cow and buffalo across the country.
Besides, the country has 72 lakh goats and sheep, according to the DLS.
A total of 1.10 crore animals would be required for sacrifice during the upcoming Eid-ul Azha.
The veterinary medical teams would be involved at all 24 hats under the two city corporations areas, said the DLS.
The DLS added that it along with the city corporations and concerned department will work to encourage healthy fattening and preventing cattle fattening through providing steroid and unhealthy hormone injections.
Additional Secretary Kazi Wasi Uddin, Director General of the DLS Hiresh Ranjan Bhowmik, Livestock Research Institute’s DG Nathuram Sarker and officials of other ministries, among others, attended the meeting.