PATNA: With Bakrid set to be celebrated on August 22, different varieties of sacrificial goats have flooded the city’s Bakra Mandi at Raza Bazar.Mandi coordinator Mohd Ziya-ul Khan said Totapari from Jaipur, Barbari from Etawah, Jamnapari from Allahabad and Ajmeri goats from Rajasthan are high in demand.“People usually buy the goats which look healthy and attractive. Totapari breed, priced at anything from Rs 25,000 to Rs 90,000, is getting more buyers than any other breed,” he said and added the goats this year were selling almost at the same price at which they were sold last Bakrid.According to Khan, Barbari from Etawah, Jamnapari from Allahabad and Ajmeri from Rajasthan were also attracting many buyers as they too are well-bred goats. Their prices vary in the range of Rs 15,000-Rs 60,000, depending on the size and weight. There are also few who prefer local breeds, he said.Local breeds have been bought to the city’s Bakra Mandi from Khagaria, Purnia, Munger, Ara, Buxar, Ballia, Siwan, Gopalganj, Samastipur, Sitamarhi and Bhagalpur. “A local goat weighing between 10-12kg is being sold for Rs 7,000; 15kg for Rs 9,000 and 20-22kg for Rs 12,000-15,000,” Khan said.A shepherd from Muzaffarpur, Feroz Alam, said people generally bought the goats three days before the festival due to apartment culture in the city. “Most of us camp in the market till the third day before Bakrid,” he said.Another seller, Anwar Khan, recalled they had to suffer losses last year because of incessant rain and waterlogging. “Many animals fell sick as it rained cats and dogs around Bakrid last year,” he said.Goat markets, albeit small ones, have also come up in Patna City, Sabzibagh and Phulwarisharif, among other places, in the city.Boring Road resident Amir Khan said he would buy a goat a day before the festival. “It is not possible to keep the goat at our small house for several days,” he explained.

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