DistantNews
Support us
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Economy & Trade

Eid-el-Adha: Soaring ram prices dampen festive mood

From The Punch · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Soaring prices for sacrificial rams are dampening the festive mood for Eid-el-Adha celebrations across Nigeria.
  • Small rams are selling for N100,000 to N200,000, with larger ones reaching up to N1 million, significantly higher than the previous year.
  • Livestock dealers cite increased transportation costs, feed prices, and insecurity as reasons for the price surge, while buyers struggle with economic hardship.

The upcoming Eid-el-Adha celebrations in Nigeria are expected to be less joyous for many Muslim families due to the prohibitive cost of sacrificial rams. With the religious festival just days away, households in Ogun, Kebbi, and Sokoto states are expressing deep concern over escalating prices that place rams beyond the reach of average earners amid ongoing economic hardship.

Honestly, this year is very difficult. We came to buy a ram but the prices are shocking. What we bought for about N250,000 last year is now close to N500,000. We are hoping prices will come down before Sallah.

· Ibrahim SulaimanA resident of Birnin Kebbi expressing concern over the high cost of rams at the Ambursa Market.

Market surveys reveal a stark increase in prices compared to the previous Eid-el-Kabir season. In Kebbi State's Ambursa and Kalgo livestock markets, small rams are priced between N100,000 and N200,000, medium-sized ones range from N300,000 to N500,000, and larger or exotic breeds can cost between N600,000 and N1 million. Similar trends are observed in Sokoto State's Kara, Achida, Bodinga, and Wamakko markets.

School fees, feeding and transportation are already taking most of our income. Buying a ram now requires serious planning.

· Umar AlieroA civil servant explaining the financial strain making it difficult to purchase a ram for Eid.

Despite the availability of rams in large numbers, patronage remains low. Prospective buyers are seen bargaining extensively but often leave without making purchases, grappling with shrinking purchasing power. Residents like Ibrahim Sulaiman from Birnin Kebbi noted that a ram costing around N250,000 last year now approaches N500,000, making preparations difficult. Civil servant Umar Aliero lamented that competing financial obligations, including school fees and living costs, make purchasing a ram a significant challenge.

The prices are beyond what ordinary workers can easily afford. Some people may have to contribute money together to buy one ram for Sallah.

· Musa AbdullahiA buyer at Kara Market in Sokoto discussing the affordability of rams for ordinary workers.

Livestock dealers attribute the price hikes to a combination of factors, including rising transportation costs, expensive animal feed, insecurity along supply routes, and multiple levies imposed during the movement of animals. Alhaji Sale Unable, a trader, stated that sellers are also facing difficult business conditions, with high costs for transportation and feed impacting their operations.

Transportation and feeding costs have gone very high. We are not happy increasing prices

· Alhaji Sale UnableA livestock trader explaining the reasons behind the increased prices of rams.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog