BOGOR, Indonesia (Reuters) – As Indonesian Muslims prepare to celebrate the Eid al-Adha festival, farms are experiencing a boom in online sales that limits the need for others to stop on farms during the pandemic to buy goats, sheep and cows. historically sacrificed at this time.
Health experts have raised considerations about the threat of coronavirus spread at devout festivals in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, when others regularly gather in mosques and houses, or in their cities.
Mahir Farm introduced online livestock sales in 2018 and this year, the farm near Bogor, south of the capital, Jakarta, recorded a 50% increase in sales through 2019.
“We know that other people rarely faint or are afraid to interact with others during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Azmi Abdul Gaffar, 22, who is one of the farm’s owners.
Indonesia has reported more than 100,000 cases of coronavirus and more than 4,800 deaths, the death toll in East Asia.
“That’s why (online sales) are a problem,” Gaffar said.
During Eid al-Adha, Muslims around the world buy farm animals and, after slaughter, the meat is distributed to the poorest members of the community.
Mahir’s farm sold 15,000 goats, sheep and cows on social media platforms before the festival, which begins on Friday, representing at least 80% of the season’s profits, Gaffar said.
Farm animals are also qualified without COVID-19 and go through fitness checks through a veterinarian, he said.
Another local farm owner, Ahmad Risyad, said online sales meant that buyers did not have to go to their premises.
And for one of your customers, buying farm animals in this has obvious advantages.
“It’s safer to do the transaction online and it’s much cheaper,” said Reza Wibisono, 24, who won a shipment of sheep bought online for 3.1 million rupees ($214).
Reporting through Heru Asprihanto; Written through Ed Davies; Editing through Christopher Cushing
All quotes were delayed for at least 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of transactions and delays.
© 2020 Reuters. All rights are reserved.