Vaniyamkulam cattle fair set to reopen

Panchayat plants to restart event in November

Bushes and undergrowths have covered the cattle fair ground atVaniyamkulam, near Ottappalam, in Palakkad.

Vaniyamkulam cattle fair, one of the biggest such fairs in the State is getting ready to reopen after 19 months. Vaniyamkulam grama panchayat officials said they planned to restart the fair in November.

Panchayat president K. Gangadharan said that the governing council would soon formulate conditions for the conduct of the fair. An auction to find a person to conduct the fair was held on Friday. A meeting of the panchayat council will decide on how the fair should be conducted considering the pandemic protocol.

Merchants’ complaint

The venue of fair has transformed into a forsaken land with bushes and thick undergrowth. The grama panchayat will have to provide basic facilities before reopening the fair. The Cattle Merchants Welfare Association (CMWA) has complained to the grama panchayat against the plight of the fair ground.

Business in crores

The Vaniyamkulam cattle fair used to enjoy a special position among animal fairs in the State by hosting buffaloes and oxen from States such as Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Haryana, and Karnataka. The fair used to do cattle business to the tune of ₹3 crore every week on an average. During Bakrid and Id-ul-Fitr, the business would soar up to ₹10 crore. “We used to bring about 150 loads of cattle from other States. But lockdown and closure of fairs have reduced the movement of cattle into the State,” said Yusuf Appakkattil, State secretary of the CMWA.