Under a blazing sun at Peshawar’s sprawling Ring Road cattle market, buyer Khayam Khan moved slowly between rows of bleating goats and restless sheep, a bottle of water clutched tightly in his hand and wet towel on his head to avoid heatstroke.
Instead, sweat dripped from his forehead as he stopped at yet another animal shade, bargaining carefully with a trader over the price of a Chitrali sheep at the ring road market flooded with cattle.
However, his offer Rs85,000 was rejected within seconds by the dealer standing under a roadside tree with his stock.
The 35-year-old government school employee from Pabbi tehsil, Nowshera, had spent the entire day travelling between cattle markets in Peshawar, Charsadda, and Nowshera, hoping to buy an affordable animal ahead of Eidul Azha.
Instead, he found soaring prices, intense heat, poor sanitation and mounting frustration among buyers and sellers of low-income groups in cattle markets, thinking to go for collective Qurbani this year with neighbours.
“I came with an intention of buying a goat or sheep this year,” he said, 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.”
Around him, thousands of people wandered through muddy lanes packed with animals brought mostly from Punjab and Sindh. Most were not buying only surveying prices, calculating budgets, and returning home empty-handed.
As Eidul Azha approaches, cattle markets across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have transformed into centres of both religious preparation and economic activities.
Large and small markets at Lala Qala, Ring Road, Hayatabad, Charsadda Road, Mardan Chowk, Akora Khattak, Charat Amangarh, and Pabbi are overflowing with sacrificial animals transported from Sahiwal, Lahore, Attock, DG Khan, Jacobabad, and Ghotki. Yet despite the abundance of livestock, buyers said affordability has become the biggest challenge.
“Transportation, fodder, labour – everything has become expensive this year,” explained Sohail Khan, an inter-provincial cattle trader from Pabbi, while talking to APP.
Standing beside dozens of goats tethered under makeshift tents, he said he had sold only 44 goats out of 150 since last Thursday. “People mostly come in the evening, ask prices, and leave waiting for the last days prices fall,” he said. “The heat is severe, and many simply cannot afford the animals to accommodate them in their homes.”
For traders, the risks are equally high. A single animal dying from heatstroke or disease can wipe out weeks of profit. Many dealers complained about poor facilities at the markets, including a 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 everything.”
This year’s Eid markets are unfolding under punishing temperatures across KP, exposing both humans and animals to hot conditions.
Buyers carrying water bottles and wet towels were seen searching for shade wherever possible. Traders repeatedly sprayed water on buffaloes and oxen to keep them cool.
Veterinary officials feared the weather may cause lumpy skin disease and other infections among cattle if an adequate sanitation measures were not adopted.
Dr Aftab Ahmad, Director Livestock and Dairy Development KP, said fumigation drives and veterinary teams had been deployed at major cattle markets for improved services.
He urged owners to isolate sick animals immediately and inform livestock authorities of treatment.
“Cold shelters, cleanliness and mosquito repellents are essential this season,” he said.
Another growing challenge for traditional cattle markets is the rapid rise of online qurbani services.
As temperatures climb and inflation tightens household budgets, many families are now opting to purchase sacrificial animals online instead of spending hours in overcrowded bazaars.
However, traders acknowledge the shift is affecting physical sales.
“Wealthy people prefer staying home and booking online now,” Sohail said. “The digital market has reduced customer traffic in cattle bazaars in Peshawar.