Few days to the Muslim Eid-el-Kabir festival sellers of livestock in Sokoto State have expressed dismay over the low patronage in the markets.
A check by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto metropolis on Tuesday revealed that the markets were full of rams, cows and camels of different sizes.
The Chairman of Ram Sellers Association in the state, Alhaji Isa Bello, told NAN that the supply of rams was high but the demand was low presently.
“We are expecting more buyers to come to the market but presently as you can see the number of people patronising the market is not encouraging.
“Moreover, increase in the prices of livestock is small compared to that of last year in which rams sold between N30,000 and N 110,000.
Presently we sell between N35,000 and N120,000 of the same sizes.
“This low increase came as a result of adequate and cheaper prices of livestock feed which sold at about N5,000 per bag last year and now selling for between N2,500 and N3,000,” he said.
Bello further called on people in the state to always be caution of dealers to buy livestock from in order to avoid buying stolen animals from bad eggs.
Also speaking to NAN, the state Vice Chairman Cow Sellers Association, Malam Anas Muhammad, said that cows sold between N100,000 to N250,000 this season compared to N90,000 and N110,000 of last year.
He expresses regret that the approaching Eid-el-Kabir festival came without patronage in the markets, saying such could result to high loss to the livestock sellers.
A prospective buyer, Alhaji Bello Gidado, who spoke to NAN, however, complained that the prices were too high compared to last year.
He said that rams of the same size were being sold last year for between N25,000 and N80,000 compare to this season’s prices of between N35,00 and N120,000.
