Scarcity of sacrificial animals hits Jakarta on Day of Sacrifice
Scarcity of sacrificial animals hits Jakarta on Day of Sacrifice
JAKARTA (JP): Observance of Idul Adha in the capital and its
surrounding areas on Sunday was marked by a scarcity of goats
used for slaughtering to commemorate the Muslim Day of Sacrifice.
Goats at many locations in Greater Jakarta had been sold out
by midday Saturday.
With the help of local committee members, the devout, who
wanted to sacrifice goats as is obligatory for Muslims who are
economically able, had to go as far as Parung in West Java to
find a sacrificial animal.
Knowing the high demand, many traders -- who first thought the
market would be sluggish due to the recession -- abruptly
increased their prices.
"We just got one at 4 a.m. in Parung at the price of Rp
550,000 thanks to the fearless efforts of my son who looked for
an animal for several hours in the wee hours," said a Tangerang
housewife.
Some Muslims in Jakarta eventually decided to jointly buy a
cow instead of goats.
After the morning Idul Adha prayers, a number of local
committees -- set up to help organize the slaughtering and
distribution of the meat -- apologized for their inability to
help several Muslim families in their respective neighborhoods
purchase goats.
Some of the committees urged the devout to pool their money to
buy a cow, which is usually used for sacrifice by wealthy
Muslims.
Some committee members suggested Muslims buy and slaughter
goats on their own.
According to Islamic teachings, animals to be slaughtered for
Idul Adha are acceptable up to three days after the Idul Adha
prayer. The meat has to be distributed immediately after
slaughtering to needy people.
Idul Adha coincides with the 12th Islamic month of Dzulhijjah
which marks the peak for those on the haj pilgrimage in Saudi
Arabia.
The goat scarcity in the capital was not anticipated by
traders.
Traders who flocked into Jakarta about two weeks before Idul
Adha thought the demand for goats, which are much cheaper than
cows, for this year's Sacrifice Day would be sluggish due to the
country's crippling economy.
Besides that, an increase in the robbing of trucks
transporting goats and the high price of goats from breeders also
forced traders to bring only half of their usual number of goats
here.
"To avoid possible robbery which often occurs along the main
road of Java's northern coast, I picked up goats only from
Lampung (in South Sumatra)," goat trader Chaidir, who is a
computer student at Budi Luhur college, said.
Goats in the capital sold for between Rp 250,000 and Rp
750,000 each, depending on the size. The price was between Rp
50,000 and Rp 100,000 more expensive than last year.
The price increased another Rp 50,000 to Rp 100,000 on
Saturday evening.
A cow sold for between Rp 3 million and Rp 4 million each,
compared to less than Rp 2 million last year.
According to Sri Mulyono of the city livestock husbandry
agency, the scarcity was mainly due to misjudgment on the part of
traders.
The supply of goats here, he said, totaled around 35,000 this
year, which is a 20 percent drop from last year's figures.
Goats and cows in the capital are bought from places such as
Lampung, Central Java, East Java, Yogyakarta, South Sulawesi,
East Nusa Tenggara and Bali. (bsr/ylt/ind/01)