L’obstacle du prix     – Le Jeune Indépendant

Treating yourself to a sheep to perform the Eid El-Adha ritual has become a very arduous task for the Béjaouis. The reason is that the price of sheep has doubled in the last few weeks.

In search of a sheep to sacrifice, many Béjaouis have encountered this obstacle due to lack of budget and due to progressively eroding purchasing power. Due to lack of economy, people resign themselves and decide to ignore this dear Eid sheep.

In people’s comments, whether in the street, in livestock markets or even on the web, it is easy to detect the disappointment that grips half of the people. The reason is that the price of sheep has doubled. People arrive at the markets in the morning and just go around in circles, passing from one herd to another before returning home with nothing. At the Kherrata livestock market like that of Aokas or those of the Soummam valley including Tazmalt, Akbou and Sidi-Aïch, the situation is similar. Everyone is disillusioned when they discover a market in full depression. Prices have soared more than one can imagine.

There are crowds from the early hours of the morning on livestock market days. Citizens come to look for the sheep to sacrifice or visit the market in the hope of buying a sheep after tough negotiations. From herd to herd some arrive after long periods of prospecting and hesitation to buy an animal. However, the majority face the barrier of price.

Fathers come with their children and disappointment can be seen on their faces because of their inability to leave with a sheep and please their little ones. The prices of animals, especially of high quality and large size, are unaffordable. You negotiate firmly from 85,000,00 DA for small animals and there is no need to ask the price of medium-sized sheep and goats because you must have, at least, a sum of 120,000 DA in your pocket. And negotiations between buyers and sellers are rarely successful.

The prices are too high for the consumer, but not high enough for the breeder, who is no longer able to cover his costs, particularly due to the rise in fodder and feed prices. Animals are offered at prices ranging between 70,000 to 80,000 and do not even weigh 10 kg.

Their sizes and prices don’t convince anyone. Despite the availability of animals in all markets, prices are very high. Inflation, the high cost of fodder and food in general and obviously the crazy and long time that the breeder spends keeping, feeding and caring for the animals means that sheep have become expensive. This is the refrain of all breeders. They advance it at every opportunity to justify the required sales prices.

For some, selling them even with the current prices, which are very high, in everyone’s opinion, would amount to losing their capital. “Livestock breeding is no longer profitable because food is very expensive, and losses are inevitable,” they explain.

Resellers, for their part, have understood this situation well and are there to add another layer to the consumer’s misfortune with speculation and their voracious appetite. They approach the breeders and buy the entire herd offered and immediately and very quickly offer the animals at retail with at least 30 to 40% of their purchase price.