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Hisham Aljundi
Doha
AS the Eid Al Adha draws closer, livestock markets are witnessing a large turnout of customers looking for local breeds of sheep and goats for Udhia.
The prices of sacrificial animals this year have also witnessed a drop following an initiative by the government to subsidise it, bringing relief for many people.
Speaking to Qatar Tribune, some livestock traders assured adequate supply of local livestock, especially of the Syrian sheep raised in Qatar, to the market.
Nour, a merchant at the livestock market in Abu Hamour, said these breeds have been ranched in Qatar since last year to meet the local demand of sacrificial animals during Eid Al Adha.
The prices range from QR1,300 to QR2,500 for the locally-raised Syrian sheep, QR1,000 to QR1,500 for goats while the prices of Jordanian sheep starts at QR1,200.
"The livestock were raised in Qatar to meet the market needs. With the opening of new routes, we also have Iranian sheep whose prices range from QR800 to QR1,300, but people normally prefer the locally raised animals," he said.
According to him, livestock is also coming to Qatar from Sudan because of the opening of the new sea routes. Sudanese sheep is available for QR2,000 per animal owing to its bigger size and weight, he said, adding that transportation cost also may have pushed up its price.
Other breeders, who sell camel for Udhia, said since the blockade last year and the loss of all the camel farms owned by Qataris in Saudi Arabia, they have set up barns to raise them locally.
"The prices of camel which seven people can share according to Islamic law range from QR5,500 to QR9,000. In Qatar, we have all local breeds of camel to meet the market demand," said Rizqallah, a camel breeder at the livestock market.
According to Rizqallah and some other traders, about 95 percent of the camels in Qatar's markets are local breeds while the rest are imported from Kuwait and Oman.
Some customers at the livestock market praised the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) for controlling the prices of Udhia and the support given to merchants to keep the prices stable and affordable this year.
The MEC, in cooperation with the Qatar Meat and Livestock Company, had launched an initiative to support Udhia prices and provided around 25,000 sheep for the Eid season. Australian sheep can only be purchased at the public outlets for prices starting from QR400.
