Dakar, Jul 4 (APS) – Mutton sellers in Soumbédioune are torn between impatience and concern, due to the low number of customers, as the Tabaski festival, scheduled for next Sunday, is fast approaching in an economic context marked by a sharp rise in inflation.
Thierno Sarr, a sheep seller established in this part of the Gueule tapée, indicates that the festival occurs this year in a context of economic gloom.
“It’s not moving yet (…). Only a few customers come to inquire regarding sheep prices,” he says, noting that, for the moment, buyers are not jostling on the market.
Within his flock, prices for sheep vary, he says, between 150,000 CFA francs for medium-sized rams and 300,000 CFA francs for larger rams.
“We don’t see enough sheep like in previous years (…)”, he observes, explaining that it is perhaps the lack of space which is at the origin of this situation, in particular for the operators who come from the sub-region.
“We must no longer wait for the approach of the party (…). The State must provide spaces for those who invest in this sector. It allows to work in good conditions and to encourage operators’ ‘, he says.
The story is almost the same with Mamadou Lamine Diédhiou. The seller is standing next to a herd of sheep which he is serving as cattle feed.
“It is difficult to find customers. The few who arrive are looking for cheap sheep, whereas today it is difficult to find a sheep at 80,000 CFA francs,” he said.
The breeder offers prices between 130,000 CFA francs and 400,000 CFA francs for his sheep. According to him, the high cost of animals is mainly due to the sharp increase in the price of animal feed.
Looking for a button to sacrifice for the great Muslim, Moussa Diop seems disappointed not to be able to agree on the price with a seller.
“Everything is expensive on this market. They sell sheep at 150,000 CFA francs which cost 60,000 CFA francs last year,” laments the customer, who hopes to find a ram before Aid el-Kébir.
For him, the general rise in prices is due to the current economic crisis. He calls on the State of Senegal to work to ensure Senegal’s self-sufficiency in sheep, in order to avoid always finding itself in such a situation.
While some sellers are struggling to find customers, others, on the other hand, have found a way to sell their sheep well before Eid el-Kébir.
Dressed in a green T-shirt on the back of which is inscribed the name of his sheepfold, Issakha Niang claims to have sold half of his herd thanks to a partnership with a money transfer network that he supplies as part of a contest game.
The owner of the Niang Family sheepfold admits all the same that there are not many sheep on the market, which are expensive. This year, it is impossible to acquire a sheep for less than 100,000 CFA francs, he laments.
“Unlike previous years, this year, the very low number of sheep available worries more than one,” adds Niang, sitting on a stool on Martin Luther King Boulevard, in the Medina district.
“Supply does not yet meet demand. This is why some citizens fear a shortage of sheep and a rise in prices,” explains the breeder.
For Tabaski 2022, sheep needs remain at 810,000 head, including 260,000 for the Dakar region”, the Minister of Livestock and Animal Production recently indicated.
Aly Saleh Diop considers the supply situation of the local sheep market to be “quite satisfactory”.
