BAHAWALPUR: The sale of sacrificial cows has yet to gain momentum due to high prices of animals and fears among the buyers about lumpy skin disease in cows in Bahawalpur.

Animal traders told Dawn buyers were showing more interest in goats, calves of buff aloes, bulls and camels than cows. On the other side, buyers said the goats` prices were presently high.

In local cattle sale points, most of them operating illegally along roads, cattle traders demand up to Rs30,000 for a small, weak goat, while the price of a healthy goat is Rs50,000.

Some traders are selling goats as per their weight at the rate of Rs1,200 per kilo and by this standard, a 40kg goat is being sold at Rs48,000.

The prices of calves of buffaloes have also increased manifold. Also, the supply of calves is short in the market, which is another f actor behind increased prices. Similarly, the prices of bulls and camels are higher than the previous years as a bull of tender age is available at Rs100,000 or even more while the prices of camels are out of reach of the buyers.

South Punjab Deputy Secretary of Livestock Dr Sohail Azmat, however, dispelled the impression that the people are reluctant f rom buying cows due to the persistent lumpy skin disease.

He claimed that due to stringent measures adopted by the department, no sick cow could be brought to any cattle market or sale point established on the roadsides in the region.

According to him, the department was completely implementing its contingency plan with focal persons at provincial, division and district levels in south Punjab. He said under this plan, there are 18 inter-provincial check posts, and 170 inter-district check posts with 2,673 staff deployed there round the clock.

He said each centre had necessary medicines with three to four vets on duty for eight hours each. He said any buyer or seller can get their animals examined by the staff. In addition, the staff on duty is bound to spray the centres daily as a precautionary measure.

Despite these measures, the sale of cows has yet to pick the momentum. Cattle seller Bashir said he faced financial losses and observed that his cows did not attract many buyers.

During a visit to a local market, this correspondent saw the livestock department`s medical and relief camp functional where staf f members were busy advising the visitors about animals` health.