Ahead of Id-ul-Zuha, goat market goes online

The post in the online buyer-seller portal describes the item as “beautiful” and “god-gifted” and its price a hefty Rs five lakh.

But it’s not a used car up for sale. Not even a plot of land. What’s being offered on OLX is a male goat ahead of Eid-ul-Zuha, the Muslim festival which involves animal sacrifice.

And in tune with the changing times, sellers are now taking to online business, putting up advertisements in sites like OLX and Quikr.

Though camels and cattle are also sacrificed, goats are most preferred because of their easy availability, thus giving another name to the festival ‘Bakr-Id’. The festival will be celebrated on September 24 or 25 in India.

“We face cut-throat competition when it comes to selling our animals. We only get a few days’ time to sell them,” said Ishaan Rawat, a goat breeder in Lucknow, which has a sizeable Muslim population.

However, unlike other online business, animals have to be picked up from the seller.

Badal Dutta, a goat merchant based in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad township, said he has even got response from buyers in neighbouring West Bengal.

“A customer can get all details of the goat online including its market price, height, weight, colour, size and breed,” he said adding urban customers try to avoid traditional markets.

Mohammad Rustamuddin Ansari, a resident of Wasseypur in Jharkhand said that for the past couple of years, he has been purchasing goats online for sacrifice.

Over the past few days, these sites have been flooded with posts of goats up for sale with a variety of breeds on offer -- Ajmeri tota pari, Jamnapari, and Tota pari.

Khalid Khan, a goat seller in Bhopal, said he switched to Quikr after finding no takers the traditional way.

“I am getting good response after placing an advertisement. I am even getting calls from different parts of the country. I am waiting for a satisfactory offer to sell my goat,” he added.

Old-timers, however, felt that e-commerce could not beat the charm of buying goats in traditional markets. They are of the view that buying goats online dampens the festive fervour attached to the ritual.

The new trend found a backer in Mualana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mehli, the Imam of Lucknow Idgah.

“It is a time-saving measure. However, before purchasing the goat, one should check if it is suitable for sacrifice.”