Rising Prices of Sacrificial Animals Ahead of Eid al-Adha Raise Alarming Concerns
With just a few days to go before Eid al-Adha, the surge in prices of sacrificial animals is taking a worrying turn. Any keen observer will notice that the price curve continues to rise, and this trend is unlikely to change in the days to come.
In an interview on Jawhara FM, the president of the Tunisian Union of Farmers, Midani Dhaoui, sought to shed light on the situation in the market, pointing a finger at inflated prices caused by intermediaries and resellers.
According to him, the farmer or breeder is the first victim of a system that ultimately suffocates them. "After bearing exorbitant expenses for months to feed their livestock and maintain the mothers, the breeder is forced to sell their animals at a ridiculously low profit margin, while speculators reap the benefits," he said.
The heart of the problem, Dhaoui added, lies in the greed of intermediaries, commonly known as "Gachara." These individuals have a stranglehold on the market, having managed to purchase almost the entire national herd in the past one or two months before the advent of Eid al-Adha.
"The lambs, which follow a long cycle of birth and fattening in the breeder's care, are now under the exclusive control of these merchants, who dictate their own prices," he explained. Dhaoui emphasized that this dominance is reinforced by a significant decline in the number of livestock nationwide compared to previous years, exacerbating the price surge.
The union leader also pointed to the irrational buying behavior of some consumers. Dhaoui lamented the rush to informal sales points, stating that such behavior has a significant impact on the situation and fuels price competition.
To break the monopoly of speculators and regulate household expenses, Dhaoui urged Tunisians to prefer traditional weekly markets, particularly official "Rahba" markets. In the event that these options are not available, he advised consumers to turn to local butcher shops, where the price of meat is capped at 60 dinars per kilogram.
Unfortunately, all signs suggest that the price curve will continue to rise in the days to come. This bleak reality threatens the wallets of citizens and the budgetary balance of families. The surge is fueled by the insatiable greed of speculators, who are aware of the imminent payment of monthly salaries.
This situation puts additional pressure on sales points, giving intermediaries a strong position to impose prohibitively high prices on modest Tunisian families...
A somber reality threatens the wallets of citizens and the budgetary balance of families. This surge is unfortunately fueled by the insatiable greed of speculators, who, aware of the imminent payment of monthly salaries, are doing everything to profit from the situation and enrich themselves at the expense of citizens.
Intermediaries are doubling down on pressure, imposing prohibitively high prices that are a burden to modest Tunisian families...
