Traders decry low patronage as ram price skyrockets by 55.5%

As Nigerians prepare for the Eid-El-Kabir celebration, ram traders in the Ibafo, Kara and Agege markets of Ogun and Lagos states on Wednesday decried low patronage, blaming it on the rising cost and economic downturn.

The traders who bared their mind separately with our correspondents said there was a low patronage compared to what was applicable last year because of the hike in the price of rams in the market.

They explained that the cost of sourcing the rams from the Northern parts of the country had soared which they said led to the high cost they were selling.

A trader in the Ibafo market, Usman Abubakar, complained that the patronage compared to last year was not encouraging, adding that the cost of sourcing the rams from the North has affected the pricing of the rams.

He said, “If you were to be here by this time last year, you would not meet people sitting down like this. Last year’s sales were impressive, I’m telling you, but this year’s sales have been slow.’’

“The rams that we sold for N150,000 -N180,000 last year now sell for N250,000 – N280,000, which translates to a 55.5% increase. We cannot buy it cheap at Arewa and sell it at a higher price. We are pricing based on what we were able to buy, which is costlier compared to the previous year.”

Another ram seller, Abu said,

“Before, we sold our rams on time, but now, we just sit down, because there are no sales. There is no mass movement of customers, and we only see a few customers come into the market,” Sabo lamented.

At the popular abattoir market in the Agege area of Lagos State, Business Hallmark noticed that the market was scanty, while only a few traders and customers were engaging in trade.

A trader, Ariyo Olarewaju , in a chat with our correspondent, lamented the wide margin in the price of rams last year and this year.

He said, “There’s a huge difference in the price of the rams this year compared to last year. The difference is between N50,000 and N100,000. Rams that were sold for N350,000 last year are now being sold for N500,000 this year.”