Livestock prices surge in Damaturu – NAN
By Ahmed Abba
Livestock prices have significantly increased at the Damaturu market in Yobe, ahead of the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
A NAN market survey on Thursday revealed that the hike in the prices was due to lower supply in the market by the traders when compared to the supply in 2024.
Some of the traders told NAN that the development was partly due to rising demand coupled with the transborder trade disruptions.
Malam Babani Kara, a prominent livestock dealer at the market, said the price of the smallest ram was sold at N150,000 and N230,000.
He said that biggest rams range from N250,000 to as high as N1 million, depending on size and physical condition.
“Prices of sheep are also on the rise, ranging between N100,000 and N300,000,” Kara said.
He noted, however, that prices were slightly lower than those of the past two to three weeks.
“This is a peak market day. Sellers either sell off their animals or take them back home. To avoid the cost of transport and feeding, most sellers reduce their prices,” he explained.
Some buyers have expressed dissatisfaction over the hike in prices this year as against the previous years.
Muhammad Bulama, a buyer, told NAN that rams previously sold from N60,000 to N70,000 now cost beyond N200,000.
“The prices are exorbitant compared to last year. Many people are struggling to afford them,” Bulama lamented.
He attributed the price hike to a range of factors, including general economic hardship, influx of buyers from neighbouring states such as Borno, and the ongoing closure of the Nigeria-Niger Republic border.
“Traders from Nigeria used to import livestock from Niger Republic. Similarly, Nigerien traders brought animals into Nigeria.
“But since the border closure, traders from other African countries who used to patronise Niger now come directly to Nigeria to buy livestock,” Bulama said.
Alhaji Modu Babagana, another buyer, told NAN that many households were pooling resources to jointly purchase cows, which they slaughter communally, rather than buy individual rams.
“This arrangement is a bit more economical. A single person buying a small ram at N250,000 is not sustainable for many families,” he said.
Some residents said they would forgo the ritual this year due to high prices and economic constraints.
Bala Kaku, a resident, said he had resolved not to purchase any livestock for the Eid sacrifice.
“The prices are too high and money is not circulating. I cannot afford.
MeMeanwhile an Islamic scholar, Malam Abdul’Aziz Dapchi, has appealed to the public not to overburden themselves with the ritual sacrifice if they do not have the means.
“The Eid-el-Kabir sacrifice is not obligatory on those who cannot afford it. Islam does not place hardship on anyone,” he said.
He said that during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad “(Peace Be Upon Him)”, two rams were sacrificed – one on behalf of himself and his household, and the other for the Muslim community who were unable to perform the sacrifice.
Dapchi also urged wealthy individuals to extend support to the less privileged in line with Islamic teachings of compassion and solidarity. (NAN)
