By Jubril Bada

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As  muslim faithful in Ondo State join their counterparts across the world tomorrow to celebrate this year’s Eid-el-Kabir festival, prices of rams have increased tremendously in the state.

Ram is the major animal used by muslims across the world for sacrifice during the annual Islamic festival.

A market survey conducted by The Hope, yesterday at Shasha market  in Akure, the state capital  on the animal indicated a significant increase in its prices.

At Shasha market one of the major markets where prices of commodities are cheaper, it was observed that the smallest ram goes for N25,000 as against  N18,000 it was sold last year.

It was further observed that the prices of some of the rams that were sold between N20,000 and N50,000 last year, are now between N30,000 and N60,000.

The market survey, which also revealed that the prices of big rams  which now sell   between N80,000 and N120,000 were sold for N50,000 last year.

Confirming the development, Alhaji Bashiru Ahmed, a ram seller at Shasha market, said  prices of rams have increased this year compared with  last year’s prices.

Ahmed attributed  the hike in the prices of rams to the rainy season which has made roads deplorable for traders of ram to transport them easily from farms in the northern part of the country for sales.

He noted that when the modern rail lines being constructed by the Federal Government in the country are completed,  it would go a long way in bringing drastic reduction to the transportation cost of conveying  things from the northern part to other parts of the country.

Ahmed, who said that the skyrocketed price of ram is not as a result of insecurity in the country explained that patronage of the ram is very high as buyers prefer buying the big rams for the celebration of Eld-El-Kabir.

Another ram seller, Otunba Abdulahmed Abdulrahman, attributed the  increase in rams  prices to the economic situation and the depreciated value of the naira  in the country.

He expressed the view that  insecurity is part of the factors contributing  to the hike in prices of rams as herdsmen were unable to produce enough for consumption.