Century-old livestock market in Haveri witnesses huge rush

Haveri: The copious rainfall in the district has given a much-needed fillip to agriculture in Haveri, and there has been a spurt in all the auxiliary activities, and nowhere is the buoyancy among those engaged in farming more evident than in the cattle market. Sowing and other activities having gathered pace in the wake of heavy showers in the district, demand for cattle has shot up.At the Shivalingeshwara Cattle Market in the district, as many locals are buying cattle as there are selling them. Buyers are flocking to the market not only from neighbouring districts of Karnataka but also from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
On average nearly 2,500 to 3,000 cattle are being sold each Thursday, with the ‘Khillari’ and other local breeds of cattle being among those in demand. Last Thursday, a pair of cattle was sold for a staggering Rs 2.1 lakh.
Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) secretary Parameshwarappa Naik said that, like all other commercial hubs, cattle markets too had been shut for five months owing to the Covid-19 crisis. “The Shivalingeshwara Cattle Market has been open for the past one month, and there is a mad rush here every Thursday. The crowd is so huge that it spills over to the Haveri-Hanagal Main Road,” Naik said.
Pointing out that the Shivalingeshwara Cattle Market boasts a history of more than 100 years, Fakirappa Nidagundi, one of the many agents there, affirmed the huge demand for Khillari and the various local cattle breeds.
Ramanna Vardi was the lucky peasant who sold a pair of cattle to a farmer from Andhra Pradesh for Rs 2.1 lakh last Thursday. He attributed the price that the pair bagged to the condition they were in – strong and extremely healthy. “We take care of them like our own children and we will not accept a paltry price,” Vardi said.
Prathap Reddy, a farmer from Telangana, who was among the customers, called for expanding the market. “It is very cramped, and for the past many years, we have been demanding development of basic facilities. The government must identify a separate spot where the space is ample on the outskirts of Haveri town,” Reddy said.