By Toyin Saheed
As the countdown to the Ileya festivities approaches, ram sellers at the Mandate Markets in Adewole, Ilorin, have attributed the high cost of rams to the increased prices of petrol and diesel following subsidy removal.
In an interview with Sobi FM Correspondent Toyin Saheed, Mr. Musa Kennike, who is the Vice Chairman of the Kwara State Association of Ram, Goat, and Sheep Sellers at Mandate Market, explained that the importation of rams into the North from other countries is limited due to numerous challenges.
He explained that despite the high costs, ram sellers at the Mandate Market have tried to lower prices to encourage customers.
“We have brought down the prices as low as fifty, sixty, and seventy thousand naira, with some rams even going for a hundred, two hundred, and up to four hundred thousand naira to make them more affordable for our customers,” said Mr. Kennike.
However, buyers are feeling the pinch. Mr. Ismail Saka, a customer at the market, expressed his concerns about the increased costs.
“A medium-size ram that was sold for about seventy thousand naira last year is now between N110,000 and N120,000,” he lamented.
The significant price hike has sparked discussions about the impact of fuel subsidy removal on transportation costs and, consequently, on the prices of goods, including livestock.
