ABU DHABI // The cost of sacrificial livestock may be high but traders in the capital’s Mina animal market said it should fall as shipments of sheep arrived from India this week.
Traders at Mina said prices rose when shipments were halted for a few months because of the summer heat.
They expected shipments to resume this week, possibly as early as Wednesday.
Two local varieties of sacrificial sheep were available at markets and the price for those had increased by up to Dh200 a head, traders said.
Naeemi was sold at Dh1,400 to Dh1,500 a head but that figure could fall to between Dh800 and Dh1,200 after Eid, said Kamaluddin, of Al Salsabil Catering at the market. Prices for najdi would decrease to between Dh1,000 and Dh1,200 for 30 to 35 kilo sheep after Eid, with smaller sheep selling for Dh800 apiece, he said.
“I just got the sheep from local farms at Dh1,150 apiece and spent on transportation. We’ve got five people working and rent to pay, so we priced it at Dh1,300 [per sheep] to earn something,” said Kamaluddin.
Traders did not rule out shortages as stock had not arrived from Iran and Somalia as anticipated, but they speculated that the prices would fall as Indian consignments arrived at market from Wednesday.
“The Indian sheep arrive at the Dubai ports Monday night and then traders start buying them from Tuesday,” said trader Gul Nawab Yousuf.
“So we hope that from Wednesday all local traders in the UAE will have Indian sheep that will fix the prices this Eid Al Adha.”
anwar@thenational.ae
