Some ram dealers in Gombe have expressed worry over low patronage of the animals, as Muslim faithful prepared for the 2022 Sallah celebrations.

A check by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Wednesday, showed that various animal sale outlets had sprung up at various locations in the metropolis amid low patronage.

The dealers who had stocked animals such as ram, goat, sheep and bulls for the festive season, complained of low patronage amid poor market conditions.

Nasiru Saleh, Secretary, Ram Sellers Association in the state, said they are not recording good sales in spite of drastic drops in the prices.

He said that a well bred ram was sold at N150,000 while a medium size ram was selling at between N45,000 to N50,000 depending on its breed.

According to him, a couple of months back, the price of a big ram could go as high as N800,000, adding that prices declined due to low patronage.

He said people were skeptical to price well bred rams and prefered the medium size.

Mr Saleh said the trade was no longer lucrative due to the high cost of animal feed which exposes them to losses.

“In the past, a bag of husks which sold between N2,000 to N3,000, now goes N10,000,” he said.

Some of the residents said they could not afford to slaughter in line with the Eid-el-Kabir rites due to harsh economic conditions.

Danjuma Mele, a resident, said he went to the market with N30,000 but could not get a ram.

“The prices are between N45,000 and N70,000 for an average ram, and I do not have that money to buy it,” he said.

Another resident, Sani Dauda said he reduced the number of rams he bought due to the exorbitant prices in the market..

“I had wanted to buy a big ram because a small one will not be enough for my family but the exorbitant prices forced me to settle for a medium size,” he said.

He blamed the traders for unilateral increase in prices to exploit buyers. 

(NAN)