Online purchase of sacrificial animals booms in Pakistan
In the wake of COVID-19, small and large enterprises have entered the digital market space as customers opt to minimise the risk of contracting the disease by purchasing animals online for Eid
In the wake of COVID-19, small and large enterprises specialising in the sale of sacrificial animals and related services, have entered the digital market space as customers opt to minimise the risk of contracting the disease by purchasing sacrificial animals online for Eid Al Adha.
As a result, the online purchase of sacrificial animals is booming in Pakistan this year compared to the previous year. A major chunk of the population across all major cities of Pakistan has shown preference for home delivery of sacrificial animals to protect themselves from the virus.
Online marketplaces, such as OLX, Facebook and Instagram, are playing a crucial role by empowering small and large-scale catle and goat farmers across the country to promote their animal stock and sacrificial packages through free ad listings.
OLX Pakistan Head of Sales Farhan Khan said last year over 20,000 animals were sold through the plaform for Eid Al Adha. “This year, however, more than 800 sellers post their stock of animals on OLX on a daily basis while over 25,000 potential buyers visit the website in search for a suitable deal,” he said. “Feedback from the sellers suggests that almost 80% of the advertised animals are sold within a week, which reflects the true potential of digital marketplaces for such type of transactions.”
He projected that the number of buyers and sellers would increase further as the Eid was approaching.
“We have been incredibly inspired by how people can utilise Facebook during these challenging times for important religious occasions,” said a Facebook spokesperson.
Apart from purchasing animals online, many people are also asking for slaughtering services, which are considered hygienic and hassle-free as Pakistan struggles to curb the spread of the disease.
Megastores have also entered the market of sacrificial animals to enhance profits and grab a considerable market share. Carrefour, through its online and telephonic-booking services, not only sells sacrificial animals but also provides slaughtering services and sends prepared meat to customers.
Carrefour Pakistan Country Manager Jean Marc Dumont said the store’s Qurbani Sahulat Service registered a growth of over 100% this year as digital plaforms continued to play a major role in promoting such services.
“We ensure that animals are sacrificed in accordance with the Shariah and all meat is processed by following international hygiene and HACCP standards for proper packaging,” he said.
Daraz officials said the plaform partnered with a handful of offline meat businesses for providing sacrificial services on behalf of customers on Eid Al Adha.
In a separate development, a 103-year-old man was discharged from a hospital in Chitral Valley ater beating coronavirus and fully recovering from the contagious disease.
Aziz Abdul Alim, a resident of Booni village, tested positive for coronavirus a couple of weeks ago, following which he was admited to the Aga Khan Health Services Emergency Response Centre where he received the treatment for the disease.
The regional head of Aga Khan Health Service (AKHS) said that during a two-week stay at the centre, the elderly man convalesced without requiring supplemental oxygen.
“We treated Aziz as a high-risk patient given his advanced age and provided him with appropriate medical care along with psychosocial and moral support — equally important during these distressing times.
In a short span of time we have successfully treated 59 COVID-19 patients in the newly-set up facility — many of whom were elderly,” he said.
“We were very worried about my father’s poor health. We felt there was no hope of his survival. My father was very excited at the time of his discharge. He greeted all the staff and management while leaving the hospital and thanked everyone for taking care of him,” said Sohail, Aziz’s son.
Pakistan has confirmed 32 deaths in last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 269,191.
The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 5,709.