In Less Than Two Months We’ll Be Hunting for a Sheep for Eid al‑Kebir
The Festival of Sacrifice will involve both consumers’ wallets and the sad or inventive minds of the public.
Everyone will have their own take. Some will call for sanctions against the speculation that spikes on this occasion, others will recommend a boycott, and still others will argue that it is necessary not to sacrifice a sheep because it has become impossible to buy one due to the price surge.
The Press – But we have talked about this sheep and red meat at every level on a regular basis. Activists in “consumer protection” have claimed that the price has reached 60 dinars per kilogram.
“Honestly, we tried to find a butcher who charges that amount, and we couldn’t find any. Have the speculators, knowing they are being watched, retreated?”
Without questioning anything, in recent weeks we visited a number of butchers whose prices did not exceed 50 dinars. Many of them sell sheep for even less.
Is this a surprise, or an attempt to calm the market and let the storm pass while developments seem to be taking shape?
In Full Conscience
It remains to be seen, but the fact that butchers have passed the word along is proof that this sector has become a genuine cartel that operates calmly, collectively, and cautiously – therefore, in full conscience.
The price increase has nothing to do with feed costs. For at least two years, rain has rescued pastures, and herds across the country have enjoyed well‑stocked grazing grounds.
So where is the problem?
It lies in the solidarity of this cartel we have always denounced, a sector controlled by speculators who hold the nerve‑centers and impose their prices.
During the Ellouhoum Company affair we discovered that Eid and Ramadan had become occasions to divert the original purpose of this organization – which was created to revive livestock farming, encourage national production, and ensure a substantial supply of red meat for the country.
According to TAP, Ahmed El Amiri, president of the Tunisian Butchers’ Chamber, is being prosecuted for money‑laundering, abuse of the privileges of his position and professional activity, monopoly and illicit speculation, aggravated breach of trust, and deliberate participation in exploitation (as a public‑agent‑like figure) that caused material damage to a state‑owned enterprise in exchange for an unjustified personal benefit.
Thus, we have wasted years for nothing. There is shortage, price hikes, manipulation, and instead of getting to the bottom of the issue to understand and correct it, we have been beating around the bush. We hear excuses about lack of feed, rising livestock‑feed costs, etc., without ever lifting the veil on what has largely destroyed the sector.
It now seems we finally hold a thread of Ariadne that could lead us to more insight.
Importing Sheep?
Announcing that a few thousand heads of sheep will be imported for Eid has cooled many ambitions and temptations. Whether the claim is true or merely a trial balloon, importing sheep is better than “stuffing ourselves with bananas” – a Ramadan that went by without that fruit. Bananas are appreciated, but we must remember that after every campaign we have always noticed leaks, manipulations, and obvious bad faith.
Large quantities were stored and later released on the market at prices different from those legally imposed.
The Tunisian consumer who relied on locally‑grown fruit has not suffered any worse. Dates, affordable for all income brackets, as well as apples, oranges, mandarins, strawberries, etc., have all performed well thanks to the Inter‑Professional Group of Dates, which set up direct producer‑to‑consumer sales points, cutting the speculators’ advantage. Consuming dates is healthy, respects centuries‑old traditions, and reminds us that the priority should remain on what our orchards produce.
Chicken – The Same Story
A communiqué from the Ministry of Trade, which has meanwhile opened a wide‑ranging investigation into the rise of white‑meat prices (it has apparently uncovered the “pot‑pourri”), fixed the price of chicken at the end of Ramadan. This meat has, by force of circumstance, become the only one still within the consumer’s reach. Tunisians need roughly 13 000 tons of chicken per month, and consumption rose sharply during this Ramadan.
The day after the communiqué we visited two large supermarkets.
- Store A solved the problem by selling only whole, packaged chickens displayed on a tray. The price per kilogram was clearly shown: 10.900 dinars.
- Store B had only two chicken pieces in its refrigerated counter, with no price label. It was obvious that the store was far from complying with the price‑fixing, which, incidentally, did not specify a deadline.
In other words, the response was found quickly: sell the chicken by the piece, wrap each portion, and set its price. The consumer is left with nothing but tears in his eyes.
How can we explain and identify the parties responsible for refusing to obey these ministerial notices, which will inevitably lead to inspections and, unfortunately, sanctions?
There is a risk that producers will create an artificial shortage by throttling production.
What is the point of acknowledging that there are only three operational chicken production sites (?!), while there is too much “traffic” in this sector? Unless we admit we simply do not know what is happening.
Something in this tug‑of‑war is not right. Both the red‑meat and white‑meat supply chains need to be revisited: responsibilities must be clearly defined, product traceability on the market must be enforced, and red lines must be drawn.
