With barely five days to the Eid-El-Kabir festival, some ram sellers on Tuesday in Badagry, Lagos State, lamented low sales, attributing them to the prevailing economic situation.
A correspondent who visited Alaba, Ajibade and Agbalata ram markets in Badagry reports that the cost of rams varies.
At the Alaba ram market, a big ram is sold for N750,000, a medium-sized ram costs N350,000 and N400,000, and a small ram is sold between N150,000 and N200,000.
At the Agbalata ram market, a big ram is sold for between N400,000 and N450,000, a fairly big ram goes for between N300,000 and N250,000, while a small ram goes for N120,000 and N150,000.
Abdul-Salam Hassan, a ram seller in Alaba market, said he spent N1.5 million as the cost of transporting his rams from Sokoto State.
“I came to Alaba market with 300 rams since June 5, and as of today, I have not sold up to ten rams; buyers have been coming to ask for the price of a ram, promising that they will come, but I have not seen them.
“The prices wouldn’t have been this high if not for the removal of fuel subsidy that led to the high transport cost,” he said.
In the Ajibade ram market, Aradagun, a seller, Belawu Ajadi, said the cost of feeding and transporting the rams to the market all added up to the high price.
“Customers come here in trickles to buy their rams for the Sallah, but compared to 2023, the sales are very dull. In 2023, as at this time, I had sold over 50 rams, but now I have just sold 10.
“The economic hardships in the country have affected the sales this year, but I still have hope that customers will still come to buy,” he said.
Meanwhile, buyers lamented the increase in the cost of the rams.
Yusuf Ajadi, a buyer at the Alaba market, said the prices had doubled compared to how it was sold last year.
“In 2023, I bought two rams here for N280,000, one for N130,000, another for N150,000, but unfortunately, today I bought one medium size for N400,000. I can’t afford to buy two this year.
“If I have to buy two rams, I have to add another N100,000, making N500,000 to buy two this year; this is more than twice the amount I bought in 2023,” he said.
Another buyer, Taoreed Ajape, said he came from Ikoga, Badagry, to buy rams but was shocked to hear the prices had doubled.
“I have gone to Okoko, Alaba, and now I am in Agbalata. I thought it would be cheaper to buy here. Surprisingly, the size of the ram I bought for N100,000 in 2023 is the size I’m begging to get for N220,000 this year,” he said.
(NAN)