In search of sheep

No Eid is the same without the sacrificial sheep but even this age-old custom is being hit by the recession. Mariz Tadros reports
The narrow road leading to the livestock market in Kerdasa, a rural area on the outskirts of the Al-Haram pyramid district, is jammed with traffic. Pick-up trucks, donkey carts and the odd Mercedes try to make their way through to the entrance of one of the biggest markets in greater Cairo, but most have to stop and park. It is impossible to pass through the steady stream of women and men dragging behind them their buffaloes, sheep and goats as they leave the market. The market, which takes place once a week on Mondays, is the last one before the Eid holiday. The countdown to finding a sacrificial animal has started. Sacrificing an animal, whether it is a sheep, a goat, a buffalo or a camel, in commemoration of Abraham's sacrifice, is a Muslim tradition (sunna) for those who can afford it. Usually, people buy an animal and, after slaughtering it, divide the meat into three portions, with shares for the immediate family, relatives and friends, as well as a portion for the poor.
The market itself is jam-packed with merchants and people from surrounding villages selling all kinds of livestock, as well as buyers haggling for a good deal. On the surface, one would think that the livestock market remains completely untouched by all the talk of an economic recession, lack of liquidity and widespread hardship. Few are making an exit from the market without a purchase.
But a closer look and a few chats with buyers and sellers reveal otherwise. Umm Ayman came all the way from Faissal, Al-Haram, with her husband to buy a sacrificial animal. She wanted to buy a sheep but cannot afford it: "The prices this year are so high that it is a big strain on the budget. I bought this goat for LE350, although I got one exactly like it last year for LE280. I have no choice but to buy, because it is a tradition for us to distribute the meat among my daughter and her family, and my son and his family."
One housewife said that all she could afford this year was a skinny goat. "I will have to give some to the family, some to the poor, and whatever remains we will just have to make do with. This is more than I can afford, but what can I do? It is bad luck if you don't slaughter, especially when it has become a family tradition."
However, traders are also complaining about the market and insist that they are making far less of a profit margin this year than they have done before. "The selling isn't as good as it used to be," one says, shrugging his shoulders. "Look at all these sheep, we haven't managed to sell any of them." said another, pointing to some large, red-marked, home-grown sheep feeding nearby. Gomaa Ali Hassan, a sheep merchant, admits that he has upped his prices since last year. At LE12 a kilo, it is two pounds more than last year. "What can I do?" he laments, "The farmers are selling their sheep for much more than before and so I am forced to raise the price. There aren't as many people buying this year: more bargaining, and less selling."
Those farmers who have come with their own livestock point out that since the price of the dollar rose, the price of fodder has drastically shot up, making it more expensive to feed the animals.
Abdel-A'al, a sheep trader, blames it on the government, which sells imported Australian sheep for much less at the cooperatives despite the abundance of Egyptian home-grown sheep.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Trade and Supply was not available for comment. However, the ministry has imported large supplies of Australian sheep this year, which it claims is intended to meet market demand. But, despite Australian sheep selling at LE8 a kilo at the cooperatives, many Egyptians still appear to prefer home-grown sheep. The Weekly found no buyers in search of Australian sheep on its visit to the Ahram cooperative in Bulaq El- Dakrour, a popular low-income area in the Giza governorate. However, Moustafa, one of the employees, was reassuring: "We are selling very well. People prefer to buy from here because it is cheaper, so we expect to make more sales."
"Don't you believe one word he says," interrupted Ashour, a resident of the neighbourhood. "At this time before the Eid last year, you would see three truckloads of sheep coming in, but this year, they have had only a small lot of sheep and that is about it. People are not buying because they don't have money. I used to buy a sheep every year for my family from this cooperative, but this year I can't afford it."
For the poor, Eid Al-Adha is one of the few occasions in the year when they have the opportunity to eat meat. If they cannot afford to buy a small animal, then they are still likely to receive a portion from better-off relatives or do-gooders. For the better-off, sheep is only one option of many, with many opting for cows and buffaloes whose prices can climb to LE5,000 a head.
Zeinab Hussein, head of the Central Egyptian Society for Consumer Protection, an NGO that monitors the price and quality of goods in the market, said that she has received several complaints from citizens against butchers who have raised the price of meat from LE20 to LE24-25 in the weeks preceding the Eid. She notes that there are two fundamental problems with the government's pricing policies -- insufficient regulation of the market and its pricing systems, and official statements announcing major discounts that simply do not exist.
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