Bakr Eid: Snow-white goats and long-maned Kashmiri breeds dazzle at Jogeshwari Bakra Mandi; each priced at Rs 65,000–70,000

MUMBAI: Little Aman's eyes lit up as he set eyes on a pen of placid white goats in a Bakra Mandi in Jogeshwari Wednesday. He stood transfixed by their beauty, tugging at his parents Arshad and Sumaira Shaikh to take one home.With the festival of Eid ul' Azha or Bakr Eid due Saturday June 7, Bakra Mandis have come up in Muslim-dominated areas like Jogeshwari, Andheri hilltop (Dongar) and Mira Road. In Vaishali Nagar, Jogeshwari West, Haji Goat Farm with 40 stalls houses 4,000 beautiful animals brought by rearers from Gujarat, Rajasthan, UP, Kashmir and Maharashtra.Buyers from Lokhandwala Complex, Yari Road and Versova as well as Malad, Govandi, Kurla, even Nagpada who do not wish to travel to Deonar come here.

They juxtapose their budget with the animal's beauty. Each goat costs a minimum of Rs 15,000 with an average rate of Rs 35,000-40,000. Pricier breeds come for Rs 65,000-70,000. These days, though, most are sold by body weight, around Rs 500-550 per kg.Each goat has a different temperament. Some love posing for selfies with their owners, others are shy. Kashmiri goats with their long mane and woolly Merino sheep look stately.

One has a curled pair of horns while another has a heart shaped pattern across the chest. "We will choose a goat that has no defect and matches all criteria for Qurbani," said Aman's father.Mandi organiser, civil contractor Wasim Azim Khan alias Haji Sahab, started this facility during the lockdown in 2020. "We host farmers who sell breeds from Indore, Ajmer and Gujarat, apart from low fat goats that are preferred by Maharashtrian Muslims.

Exotic Kashmiri goats have four or five horns," he said.Trader Naeem Umar Saleh who runs Fatima Farm in Vapi, Gujarat, said, "We source kid goats weighing 20-25 kg and rear them on our farm which houses 450-500 animals. This trade calls for heavy investment because the goats require expensive feed and proper medication. Select clients from Mumbai actually travel to our farm a month in advance to choose the best animals from breeds like Sojat, Gujri and Ajmera and take delivery once we come to Jogeshwari.

The animals weigh upto 130-140 per kg. We sell goats for Rs 550 per kg and feel that customers should not bargain to reduce the price by Rs 20-30 per kg. The animal loses 8-10 kg just during the trip to Mumbai."Haji claimed they even refund money for defective goats though few buyers knew that. "We arrange transport and veterinary care for a fraction of market rate, and even care for goats till Eid if a customer has no space to keep them. Clients from Lokhandwala, Versova and Yari Road retain them with us. We feed, bathe and care for them till they arrive to take delivery on Eid," he said.

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