Internet helps boost sacrificial animal sales

Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya | Archipelago | Thu, October 25 2012, 3:39 PM

A cattle trader in the Jl. Jemursari area, Surabaya, looked busy with his Android and BlackBerry smartphones. Apparently, he is negotiating sacrificial animal transactions online.

"After I put up an advertisement on Tokobagus.com, lots of consumers made an offer via email and chat," the trader, Made Ariyudha, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Besides on an online store, he also published the information on his Facebook page and Twitter account.

"It's true that many people still prefer to buy cattle directly, but the internet can help boost sales. Compared to last year, I’m selling them much faster. From a total of 30 cows and 50 goats, 80 percent have been purchased," said Made, adding that most of the online buyers were company executives.

The prices vary, depends on their weight. Starting from Rp 1 million (US$104) and up to Rp 3 million for a goat, and Rp 9 million to Rp 13.6 million for a cow. Delivery service is also provided.

"More than 80 cattle traders are available our site this year, an increase from 2011. Most of them come from Jakarta, East Java and West Java," said Ichwan Sitorus, Public Relations Manager of Tokobagus.com.

Tomorrow, Muslims across Indonesia will celebrate Idul Adha, which is also known as the Day of Sacrifice. Apart from performing Idul Adha prayers, they also slaughter sacrificial animals to be distributed to those in need. (kes/iwa)