By Alhagie Babou Jallow & Jainaba Kargbo
As the Muslim community prepares to celebrate the feast of Eid-ul-adha, which is barely two weeks away, there seems to be a lot of concern as to the availability and price of rams this year. Many who spoke to Gambia Daily say the prices of rams are ex- orbitantly high and are beyond the means of average Gambian.
Our reporter spoke to the President of the National Livestock Owners Association (NaLOA), Ebrima O Jallow, about the current situation. Jallow pointed to the border closure between Senegal and Mali as potentially having negative consequences on the availability of rams in the country and consequently the prices.
“We buy these animals from both Senegal and Mali and now that there border closure, is not going to be easy. Our dealers are making efforts to make sure the animals available for the Tobaski”.
Currently price of average ram lingers from D10, 000 to D20, 000, depending on the size.
The NaLOA President said some of their interlocutors do heighten the cost of Tobaski ram, “because they factor the cost incurred in the transportation of rams from Senegal”.
“The high cost of ram can also be attributed to taxes we pay before coming here; the Banjul ferry crossing and hay we buy for feeding,” Jallow added.
He therefore called on Gambian youths to venture into livestock production and animal rearing so as to cut cost of import and ensure availability.
Momodou Bah, a livestock dealer, affirmed that costs involved in obtaining ram from Senegal are huge and that this in turn, badly influences the price.
However some consumers believe that the prices charged on some of these animals are unacceptable and unjustifiable.
At the Bakau ram selling and buying points, some buyers spoke to our reporters. Abdou Njie, who there to check the rams for buying, complained about the prices, saying the prices are beyond the average Gambian; especially in the current situation of high cost of living due to the global crises.
Meanwhile, sacrifice of an animal is considered essential part of the Islamic festival of Id-Ul-Adha. Id-Ul- Adha, called the Festival of Sacrifice, is an important Islamic holiday and distributing meat amongst the people is an integral part of the festive season.