New Delhi: In a village in Rajasthan’s Bhagalpur district, a man and his wife sell animals for a living.
“They work from 10 am to 6 pm and sell the animals for Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000,” said the farmer, who gave only his first name, Naseem.
“We sell the carcasses to shops that sell clothes, shoes and other household items.
We sell the hides for use in cosmetics.
We also sell the fur.
We earn Rs. 2,000-3,000 per animal, depending on how many hides we have.”
Naseem’s wife, Anil, said the family of five had sold 30,000 animals in the past four years, earning Rs. 60,000 from each.
Anil works as a porter at a local grocery store.
“We sell at least 30 animals a day,” she said.
“A small animal, such as a chicken, sells for Rs 20.
If we sell at Rs 20, we earn Rs 1,000.
If a large animal sells for over Rs. 1,500, we make more.”
In her village, there is a demand for animals to be kept for the poor and needy, and the family sells the animals to a meat market.
“Our animals are used for cooking and eating meat, and they have been fed well,” said Naseam.
The family has about 100 animals, which they sell to a local meat market, where they make Rs. 25,000 profit.
“Our animals have not eaten since they were born.
We don’t have money to buy more, so we sell them for Rs 50 a head.
This is a lot more than what we earned in our previous jobs.”
Anil said her husband has started a new business selling meat and meat products to restaurants and bars.
“I also sell leather goods to make shoes,” she added.