By Ismaila Manjang
Dozens of Ram vendors in the country have complained over the hike of Senegal’s CFA exchange rate which has drastically increased the cost of Ram as the Tobaski is fast approaching.
Speaking to some of the Ram vendors at Abuko, Ablie Conteh said this year and last year there is a huge difference in price because last year they have lots of rams and it was easy for the customers to buy reasonably.
But this year, he said he is afraid that customers will not have the type of ram they want due to the current situation of CFA currency adding that this year everything has increased drastically especially Ram and food commodities.
“Despite the hike in the exchange rate, we also bought the Rams at a very high cost which made it difficult for us to sell at a low price. We went outside the shore of the country like Senegal, Mali, and Mauritania, and all that includes transportation to bring these rams you can see that it is not our fault, it is a situation that we are all facing together,” he explained.
He explained other obligations they need to meet which include buying food for the rams to make them stay healthy and fit for customers to buy. And also, the current crisis in Senegal is another factor that contributed to the hike and shortage of rams.
The current price of ram this year starts from D16,000 and
D19,000 upwards.
A customer at the Abuko ranch, Malang Touray, highlighted that this year’s ram price is scary saying poor people would not be able to afford it, and even “to meet other obligations for the family will be impossible.”
“One ram costing D17,000 to D20,000 is not easy for us the customers. If this continues it will be survival of the fittest and also make life difficult for the low-income earners and the poor. I urge the government to act and help the citizens, especially in this current situation,”Mr. Touray appealed.
Alieu Sowe is another customer he said the shortage of Ram has contributed to its high cost and people are now worried over this as Tobaski is at the corner.
However, the price of ram this year is too expensive compared to the previous year, and “I appeal to the ram vendors to at least consider the poor and reduce the price to a reasonable level.”