Two days to the Sallah celebrations, most households in Metropolitan Dutse, the capital of Jigawa State, are groaning over the hike in prices of rams and cows for the Eid-el-Kabir festival. Investigations conducted by the Guardian have revealed that a big-sized ram is now sold between N500,000 and N700,000, while a well-bred bull costs between N1 million and N1.7 million, compared to previous prices of N500,000 to N750,000, respectively.
Some residents of Dutse who spoke to our correspondent decried the rising hike in ram and other sacrificial animals for the celebrations. They said the trend would not allow them to sacrifice animals for the festivities. Reports at Shuwarin Cattle and Ram markets have shown that prices have jumped by over 300 percent compared to the previous season.
Traders at the market attributed the price hike to the high cost of animal feeds. Malam Musa Ayuba said animal rearing was no longer easy due to the rising cost of feed and medication. “Animal feed is extremely expensive, resulting in soaring livestock prices,” he said.
Alhaji Abubakar Jamilu, a resident, lamented that most families could not afford to slaughter a ram for the season due to exorbitant prices. “Animals are costly for sacrifice now. Many people cannot afford it like before,” he said.
Corroborating earlier opinions, Umar Abdu described the trend as unbearable and challenging, adding that most families had resorted to alternative measures to cope with the situation. Also, Nuhu Iliyasu said that he would contribute money with others to buy a cow and share the meat. He said that contribution was the only option for low-income earners to enable them to slaughter an animal for the season. “I cannot afford to buy a ram. I joined a contribution group to buy a cow and share the meat,” he said.
On his part, Ishak Ibrahim said that he would buy chickens to celebrate the season with his family in a good mood.
