In the final hours of Eid, buyers in Dhaka purchased bulls at much cheaper prices compared to the first 24 hours of selling on January 20. A medium-size bull, which originally sold at between Tk 25,000 and Tk 30,000, later fetched only Tk 15,000 to Tk 20,000 at the close of the buying period.

This was a cause of great concern for cattle traders, who hoped to sell cattle at higher prices to make up for increases in rearing costs caused by a rise in the prices of essentials.

They blamed the price-hike of cattle feed on last year's devastating flood, which caused massive damage to paddy production and depleted the main supplies of cattle feed, including straw, bran and broken rice.

Traders coming to Dhaka, from Rajshahi, Kushtia, Jessore, Faridpur and other parts of the country also had to pay extra truck fares, due to an increase in the price of diesel in December.

These rising costs forced them to demand higher prices for bulls as compared to the previous year. But most buyers, particularly those from the limited-income group, said their incomes have not increased, forcing them to bargain in line with their budget. Many roamed from one market to another, haggling for cheaper prices.

Prices also came down due to large supplies of cattle from home and neighbouring countries, cattle traders said.

As a result many traders were seen returning home with their cattle, saying they were unable to make handsome profits compared to the previous year.

When asked about this Eid's prices, traders at Demra said, "We are going back home since buyers are not offering satisfactory prices."

But some optimistic traders predicted they might make good profits during last minute sales, as they did in the previous year.