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Cattle prices have surged by over 300% in Dutse, the capital of Jigawa State, making them unaffordable for many Muslim faithful ahead of the Eid-el-Kabir festive season.
Residents of the state, in interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), decried the rising prices of rams and other sacrificial animals for the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
Cattle prices have risen by over 300% between the previous season and the current season. A big-sized ram is sold at N500,000, and a well-bred bull was sold for N1 million in Dutse, as against its previous prices of N130,000 and N400,000, respectively.
Cattle traders cited the hike in animal feed prices as the cause of the surge in cattle prices.
Malam Musa Ayuba said animal rearing has become challenging due to the rising cost of feed and medication.
“Animal feed is extremely expensive resulting to soaring livestock prices,” he said.
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 opinion, Umar Abdu described the trend as unbearable and challenging, adding that most families had resorted to alternative measures to cope with the situation.
Nuhu Iliyasu, another resident, 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 slaughter animals 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.
