The goat shandy at Samayapuram attracted a large number of traders on Saturday ahead of Bakrid, a holy festival of Muslims, falls on Wednesday.
The shandy met after the State government relaxed its curbs on weekly shandies. Besides traders from Tiruchi, Perambalur, Ariyalur, who converge at the weekly goat shandy on Othakadai ground in Samayapuram to buy goat and sheep for meat sale, traders from far-flung areas also thronged in large numbers to buy goats and sheep to distribute the meat to the poor.
According to sources, more than 5,000 goats were brought to the shandy for sale from different parts of Thuraiyur, Mannachanallur, Lalgudi, Pullambadi, Ulundurpettai. Perambalur and Ariyalur. They were quoted from ₹5,000 to ₹15,000 depending upon the weight and their age.
Though the sale was not up to the mark when compared to the sale during the same period in previous years, it was estimated that the shandy transacted business worth several lakhs of rupees on Saturday.
The poor buying sentiment due to the sluggish demand owing to the direct and indirect impact of the lockdown was said to be the main reason behind the low turnout in the volume of business.
It was alleged that most of the traders and the farmers, who brought sheep and goats to the shandy, failed to follow COVID-19 protocol.
