On a contact and assessment visit to the most important unloading point for sheep from the entire sub-region, Séwékhaye in Ngoundiane, the Minister of Livestock and Animal Production, Samba Ndiobène Kâ, strongly advised consumers against ” buy their sheep at 48 hours of the Tabaski festival scheduled for Friday, July 31, 2020.
Some ten days before the festival of Aid El Kabir, commonly called Tabaski, which will be celebrated this year in a particular context, marked by the pandemic of the new coronavirus, it is not yet the rush in the gigantic fairground of Séwékhaye , in the commune of Ngoundiane. There, the average visitor cannot believe their eyes. Since in Séwékhaye, considered the largest cattle market in Senegal, sheep are not selling for less than 120,000 CFA francs this year. A state of affairs which certainly prompted the Minister of Livestock and Animal Production, Samba Ndiobène Kâ, strongly advised consumers against buying their sheep within 48 hours of the festival. “I invite consumers, who can do it and who have the conditions required to do it financially and organizationally, to go and buy their sheep as quickly as possible.” Indeed, explains the Minister, “we are in a period of health crisis and gatherings at fairgrounds can be a source of contamination. What we don’t want. We want to limit gatherings in fairgrounds and thereby reduce the risk of the pandemic spreading ”. And the idea, he continues, “is to allow operators to strengthen the market in time, in case there is a shortage. And this is possible one week before the event but two days, it would be impossible for a breeder or a private operator who would not take the risk of going to the sub-region to increase his herd ”.
Beyond that, Samba Ndiobène Kâ said he was very satisfied that all the measures taken were respected to allow the region of Thiès to display an availability of 67,000 head more than last year. “Last year, we were at D-11 around 53,000 heads. On the other hand, this year at the same period, we are at more than 120,000 head, so a surplus of 67,000 head. Which is a record ”, he rejoiced, before asking breeders and other operators“ not to give up and to continue the work to flood the Senegalese market so that all consumers can have their sheep ”. Not without asking them “to show leniency towards Senegalese consumers, in setting the prices of sheep, in this very difficult socio-economic context” because, according to him, “measures of exemption taxes ”to breeders were taken.
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