As Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, approaches, cattle markets across Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, are experiencing peak trading activity.
Just outside the capital, Jakarta, the Jonggol Cattle Market is bustling with hundreds of cattle traders serving buyers looking for sacrificial animals. Sales at this market have increased since last month as the Muslim community prepares for the celebration. This year, Eid al-Adha will fall on Friday.
Nina Herlina, 54, was a rarity among male cattle traders in a market known for its dirt, dust and animal waste.
Two years after graduating from law school at Muhammadiyah University in 1994, she married a college classmate who was starting a cattle trading business. Her husband told her she didn’t need to earn a living, but after he passed away from COVID-19 in 2021, the mother of four faced the challenge of surviving the business. A year later, a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak hit Indonesia further exacerbating her losses.
In just a few years, Herlina has built a successful cattle business, leading a team of 25 men.
“Like it or not, I have to continue running this (business),” Herlina said from her pungent stall in South Jakarta, surrounded by cows, sheep, and goats. “Thank God, it provides jobs for my children and for those who really want to help us.”
The searing summer heat and extreme rainfalls sometimes disrupt the animal transportation chain, and the male-dominated environments are a challenge, but she says she focuses solely on her work.
Though cattle trading proved to be a natural choice for Herlina, it’s a profession still widely considered unappealing by most women. Her message for them: “Women must have courage to do this job, but believe me, it’s a very promising business.”
