Dhaka, Thursday


28 March 2024


Business Insider Bangladesh

ICT Division to manage this year’s digital cattle haat

Sanjay Adhikari || BusinessInsider

Published: 11:40, 30 June 2022   Update: 11:41, 30 June 2022
ICT Division to manage this year’s digital cattle haat

Picture: Collected

Digital Haat, a government initiative for the online sale of sacrificial animals, will continue for the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha to reduce huge gatherings and sufferings at physical cattle markets.

Although the government started the online platform for sacrificial animal trade in 2020, the “Digital Sacrificial Animal Haat” this year will be inaugurated on July 3 with a new address and added features.

This year, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division is launching the platform with a new web address of “digitalhaat.gov.bd”. The previous web address was “digitalhaat.net” and was run by the E-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (E-CAB).

The ICT Division’s Ekshop-A2I, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Bangladesh Dairy Farmers Association (BDFA) and E-CAB are working as partners on the online platform.

Rezwanul Haque Jami, head of E-Commerce, A2I, said, “Like the last two years, we are again working on Digital Haat. Buyers will be able to get the sacrificial animals of their choice with a few clicks while sitting at home without having to wander around the market.”

“This time we expect the purchase and sale of sacrificial animals to be much higher than in previous years,” he predicted.

In addition to sacrificial animal sales, animal slaughter and meat processing services will also be available on the Digital Haat website.

In this regard, Jahangir Alam Shovon, executive director of E-Cab said, “Last year, the platform was operated through E-Cab. This time the ICT department is operating it.”

“However, E-Cab is still associated with the digital haat. We are preparing to add facilities of animal slaughter and meat processing.”

The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock is working to connect marginal farmers across the country to the platform.

Iftekhar Hossain, public relations officer of the ministry, told the Business Insider Bangladesh, “Small farmers across the country will be able to sell their sacrificial animals through Digital Haat. The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock is working with the ICT department in this regard.”

On the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha, more than one crore of sacrificial animals is traded in the country every year.

In the year 2020, the activities of Digital Haat started for the first time. That year, 27,000 animals were sold through this digital cattle market.

In the following year, the platform was operated with the web address “digitalhaat.net” and 3,87,000 sacrificial animals were sold through the site.

The government’s ICT Division, E-CAB and Bangladesh Dairy Farm Association jointly implemented the event with the North City Corporation.

The website Digital Haat has already added 70 livestock farms from different parts of the country. Cows, goats, sheep, dumba (fat-tailed sheep), camels and buffaloes have been placed as categories of animals.

Like last year, the feature to lodge complaints will be available on the website.

The escrow payment system also remains on the site so that there is no chance of any irregularity in the transaction.

On the occasion of the ensuing Eid-ul-Azha, the sale of sacrificial animals has already started on other similar platforms.

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