Livestock dealers in Makurdi, the Benue state capital, have lamented low patronage of their stocks ahead of the 2021 Eid El-Kabir celebrations.
The traders who spoke to The Next Edition at the livestock markets in North Bank and Wadata, in Makurdi, said they are also selling some of their stocks at a loss.
A ram seller at Wadata market, Mr. Hassan Shaibu told our correspondent that he brought in cows and rams from Kano and Katsina but has not been able to sell up to half, less than 24 hours to Sallah celebration.
“Look at the stalls, our goods are still here and nobody is in the market to buy. Even the ones I have sold, I sold them at a loss.”
Shaibu said the prices differ depending on the size while explaining that the “The cows I bought for N100, 000 in Kano and I paid Laada; it’s like revenue, and at the end with transportation, the price came to N104,000 and when I bring it down to Makurdi, they are pricing it for N75,000.
“I also bought another ram for N70, 000 and now they are pricing it for N45,000. We have called some of the customers that bought from us last year but they have not been able to come. People are just complaining that there is no money”, he said lamenting that he may even lose his capital if the market does not improve.
He prayed the government to release money into the system by paying salary to workers to raise their purchasing power. “We know that some workers have not been paid for two months now, some three. We beg government to pay workers their salary so they can buy things they will use for Sallah.
Another livestock dealer, Danladi Abdullahi aka Bobby, also lamented low patronage saying that market is not like before because people are complaining that they don’t have money.
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“Like in the past, we have ordered for rams and cows from Maiduguri a long time ago but people are not coming much to buy. So we do not want to keep them because we bought them at exorbitant prices. If we don’t sell them now and this season passes, we may lose more that we bargained. It is better to lose small than lose plenty,” he said.
Abdullahi who prayed for progress of the country and citizens said, “we are praying for the good of Benue state and entire country so that this situation will change.”
Some Muslim faithful who spoke to our correspondent said they only managed to buy meat and other things they will use for the celebration.
According to them, the rams are in the market but their prices are almost beyond the reach of the common man.
Hajia Fatima Sani and Habib Sani said the prices of rams went up this year because same sizes of ram which cost between N40,000 and N45,000 was sold at N80,000 and N85,000. “So this year, we contributed money, three or four persons to one ram, which we shared to make it easy for us.”
She also wished that things will get better in the future and call on government to look into the forces that are increasing the prices of food stuff in the market with a view to reviewing them for the sake of the common man.
