Sallah: Returning unsold rams would be a bigger loss – Sellers

Ahead of the 2024 Eid el-Kabir celebration, some ram sellers in Ilọrin, Kwara State, have lamented the high cost of ram.

Alfa Ibrahim Ismail, who sells rams in the Mandate Market, said that aside from the high cost of the animals, feeding and care had been a burden due to the high cost of items and commodities.

On her part, Hajia AbdulRaheem, said the prices went with how the animals were bought, adding that the price for average ram this year ranged from N90,000 to N250,000 compared to N40,000 to N150,000 last year.

Usman Adio, who sells rams in Offa, lamented poor sales and attributed it to the hike in transportation cost from the far North to Offa.

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He said, “Returning the unsold rams would be a bigger loss; that’s why we are urging the federal government to look into our transportation system and make it easier for the masses.”

Abu Yasir, a rams’ seller around Oko-Erin, Ilọrin, said the situation called for concern.

On his part, a customer, Daddy Maryam, said he would opt out of buying a ram this year to buy foodstuffs to make the home happy.

He said, “When I went to shop for a ram, what I got was N200,000 and above. As a mechanic, where would I get such money just for a ram?”

Musa Kannike, the Vice Chairman of the Kwara State Association of Ram, Goat and Sheep Sellers, at the Mandate Market, Ilorin, explained that the importation of rams into the North from other countries was limited due to numerous challenges.

He explained that despite the high cost, ram sellers at the Mandate Market had tried to lower prices to encourage customers.

He further said, “We have brought down the prices as low as 50, 60 and 70,000 naira, with some rams even going for a 100, 200, and up to 400,000 naira to make them more affordable for our customers.”