KP’s Cattle Markets Struggle Under Heat and Inflation
Fakhar-e-Alam
Peshawar: Under the blazing afternoon sun at Peshawar’s sprawling Ring Road cattle market, 35-year-old Khayam Khan moved slowly through rows of bleating goats and restless sheep, clutching a bottle of water while balancing a wet towel over his head to avoid heatstroke.
Sweat dripped from his forehead as he stopped beside another makeshift animal shed, carefully bargaining with a trader over the price of a Chitrali sheep. But his offer of Rs85,000 was rejected within seconds.
For Khayam, a government school employee from Pabbi tehsil in Nowshera, the exhausting journey through cattle markets in Peshawar, Charsadda, and Nowshera had already consumed an entire day.
Like thousands of middle- and lower-income Pakistanis preparing for Eidul Azha, he was searching for an affordable sacrificial animal. Instead, he encountered soaring prices, punishing heat, overcrowded markets, and growing frustration among both buyers and sellers.
“I came with the intention of buying a goat or sheep this year,” he said while wiping sweat from his face. “But the prices are beyond my reach. Now I am seriously thinking about collective qurbani with my neighbours and relatives.”
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Around him, thousands of people wandered through muddy lanes packed with animals transported mostly from Punjab and Sindh. Many visitors were not making purchases. Instead, they moved cautiously from one enclosure to another, surveying prices, calculating household budgets, and often returning home empty-handed.
As Eidul Azha approaches, cattle markets across KP have turned into centres of both religious preparation and intense economic activity. Large and small bazaars in Lala Qala, Ring Road, Hayatabad, Charsadda Road, Mardan Chowk, Akora Khattak, Charat, Amangarh, and Pabbi are overflowing with sacrificial animals brought from Sahiwal, Lahore, Attock, DG Khan, Jacobabad, and Ghotki.
Yet despite the abundance of livestock, affordability has emerged as the biggest concern for buyers.
“Transportation, fodder, labour, everything has become expensive this year,” explained Sohail Khan, an inter-provincial cattle trader from Pabbi. Standing beside dozens of goats tethered under temporary tents, he said he had sold only 44 goats out of 150 since last Thursday.
“People mostly come in the evening, ask about prices, and leave while waiting for rates to fall in the final days,” he said. “The heat is severe, and many people cannot afford to buy or keep animals at home.”
For traders, the season also carries enormous risks. A single animal dying from heatstroke or disease can wipe out weeks of earnings. Many dealers complained about poor facilities at cattle markets, including the lack of shade, cold drinking water, sanitation, and veterinary support.
“We also suffer losses,” Sohail added. “If an animal dies because of heat or disease, the trader bears the entire loss.”
This year’s Eid markets are unfolding amid extreme temperatures across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, exposing both humans and animals to harsh weather conditions. Buyers carrying water bottles and wet towels searched desperately for shade, while traders repeatedly sprayed water on buffaloes and oxen to keep them cool.
Veterinary experts warned that the intense heat could increase the spread of lumpy skin disease and other infections among livestock if proper sanitation measures are not maintained.
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Dr Aftab Ahmad, Director Livestock and Dairy Development KP, said fumigation drives and veterinary teams had been deployed at major cattle markets to improve animal health services.
He urged owners to immediately isolate sick animals and inform livestock authorities for timely treatment.
“Cold shelters, cleanliness, and mosquito repellents are essential during this season,” he said.
Adding to the pressure on traditional markets is the rapid rise of online qurbani services. As inflation squeezes household budgets and temperatures continue to rise, many families are choosing to purchase sacrificial animals online instead of spending hours in overcrowded cattle bazaars.
Traders admitted that the growing digital market has significantly affected physical sales.
“Wealthy people now prefer staying home and booking animals online,” Sohail said. “Online services have reduced customer traffic in cattle markets across Peshawar.”
Despite the shift, however, many families still visit cattle markets to preserve the emotional and spiritual traditions associated with Eidul Azha. For children, parents, and elderly family members alike, selecting an animal remains a deeply personal ritual tied to faith, sacrifice, and celebration.
According to livestock officials, nearly 70 percent of sacrificial animals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are imported from Punjab each year to meet Eid demand.
Data shared by the Pakistan Tanners Association shows that more than six million animals worth approximately Rs531 billion were sacrificed across Pakistan during Eidul Azha last year. The figures included 2.6 million cows, three million goats, 350,000 sheep, 150,000 buffaloes, and 87,000 camels.
Heavy rains and flooding in parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa over recent years have further increased the prices of goats and sheep, making smaller animals particularly expensive for middle- and lower-income households.
As sunset approached over the Ring Road market, Khayam Khan continued moving slowly between animal sheds, occasionally stopping to compare prices and exchange worried glances with other buyers. Like many salaried Pakistanis, he is now waiting for the final days before Eid, hoping desperate sellers may eventually reduce prices.
Until then, the crowded cattle markets of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remain suspended between devotion and affordability, where every bargain carries not just economic value, but also the weight of religious obligation and household dignity.
The feaature report was released by APP on May 23, 2026.
