The only camel, brought by Amjad Hossain is still waiting to be sold on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha along with cows and goats at Gabtoli cattle market in the capital.
The owner is asking Tk 25 lakh as selling price for the camel. Although the price may astound the people who are interested, Amjad says that he will not sell it for less than Tk 22 lakh.
Amjad Hossain says, the age of this camel now is about seven years and weighs 400 kg. He has been spending a lot of money on food and maintenance of the camel at the cattle market.
Asked where he got the camels from, he told Bangladesh Post, "About 6 years ago, I came to know that some camels were seized while being smuggled from Rajasthan, India to Bangladesh through the border. Later, when they were auctioned off, my father and I bought a few camels and calves at a high price and started raising them."
In the last few years, on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha, Amjad Hossain sold all the camels at the Gabtoli cattle market. Now he has the last one left and he wants a worthy customer who will pay the expected price.
He said at least two to three hundred people bargain to buy the camel everyday. This makes him annoyed as many of them ask unnecessarily.
Amjad, a resident of Ashulia in Dhaka, has his own livestock farm. He has been raising camels along with cows and goats there for so long. Besides, there is two Dumba, which he has brought to markets as well.
He said he could not manage to import camels after trying for several times as there is a demand for camels. Camel prices are much lower in Pakistan and India. If regular imports can be made from there, it is possible to sell camels for Tk five to six lakh.
Therefore, he wants to get a license for importing, rearing and selling camels. For this, he wants the help of the appropriate authorities including the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.
Ahead of the Eid-ul-Adha evey year, cows and goats from different parts of the country are brought to the Gabtoli cattle market in the capital. This time Amjad Hossain's only camel has attracted the attentions of many in this market. They are watching the camel in the crowd, some are also taking pictures.