Muslims around the world are keen on the ritual of sacrifice, which is the most important during Eid al-Adha for those who have not performed the Hajj, even at a time when inflation has risen and it has become difficult in most countries of the world to obtain a sacrifice, which has discouraged many from the ritual and prompted others to search for alternatives in order to help the poor and needy. According to the teachings of Islam, and in this topic we discuss the prices of sacrifices in the Arab world for the year 2024, according to what Al Jazeera Net correspondents reported.
Egypt
In Egypt, the country with the highest population density in the Arab world (more than 106 million people), the head of the Butchers Division at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce, Mohamed Wahba, told Al Jazeera Net that the prices of livestock, including cows and sheep, the most popular, have increased by about 20% compared to last year. The average price of a kilogram of beef calves was 175 pounds ($3.7), and the average price of a kilogram of local sheep was 210 pounds ($4.5), which led to a decline in buying and selling activity by 50%.
One of the latest alternatives for Egyptians to offer sacrifice is to perform the ritual through charitable institutions that operate in a number of countries on the African continent in light of the high prices and as one of the innovative solutions to reduce the financial burden.
The supervisor at the Al-Khair Humanitarian Foundation in Africa, Ibrahim Al-Adawi, told Al-Jazeera Net, “With the significant increase in the prices of sacrifices in Egypt, some Egyptians have resorted to buying sheep from African countries suffering from difficult economic conditions and a weak local currency, such as Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, and others.”
These sacrifices, according to what Al-Adawi told Al-Jazeera Net, are usually less expensive, and this is done through cooperation with charitable institutions that buy sheep in those countries, slaughter them, and distribute their meat to the needy.
Libya (East)
The situation in neighboring Libya, specifically in the eastern region, was not much different, as the prices of sacrifices in Libya rose sharply, for several reasons, most notably Hurricane Daniel, which struck the city of Derna, and caused the loss of a large portion of livestock in the east of the country.
Prices were generally affected by the death of large numbers of sheep, cows, and other animals that residents usually raise as a source of livelihood, according to a Reuters report.
The prices of sacrifices imported from Spain and Ukraine, which in the past were popular with people with limited incomes, have almost doubled. After their price was about 500 Libyan dinars (about 103 dollars), this year they reached 950 dinars.
While some have surrendered to the idea of abandoning the purchase of sacrificial animals this year, others insist on following this Sunnah and practicing this Islamic ritual despite the rise in prices.
Reuters quoted Abdul Salam Muhammad (46 years old), a taxi driver who has four children, as saying: “Frankly, I came and I know the prices, but like every year I will buy the imported sacrifice, knowing that their prices this year are higher than in previous years. They were 500 and 600 dinars ( $103.50 and $124.19), and now it’s 950 ($196.64).”
Mauritania
The prices of sacrifices in Mauritania increased significantly before Eid, while many attributed this to the drought and the absence of official oversight.
In addition to the dry weather conditions in the country, large numbers of sacrifices were exported to a number of neighboring countries, including Senegal, which affected the increase in demand.
Anatolia Agency quoted livestock traders in Mauritania as saying that the prices of sacrifices range from 50,000 ouguiyas ($150) to 70,000 ouguiyas ($190). The Secretary-General of the “Mauritanian Consumer Forum” (a non-governmental organization), Ahmed Al-Nahi, said that The depletion of livestock and the absence of the authorities’ role in regulating prices contributed greatly to the rise.
He pointed out that the process of exporting livestock to neighboring countries is not subject to a regulatory framework, “which contributes to the export of large numbers of livestock to countries such as Senegal before Eid Al-Adha.”
Al-Nahi spoke about speculation and monopoly, which he said contributed to the rise in the prices of sacrifices.
This year, Mauritania is experiencing a drought that has struck large areas of the country, as the scarcity of rain has caused a severe shortage of pastoral areas, and the expansion of the desertification circle in the country, which is already suffering from widespread desertification and the decline of forests and vegetation.
The tension between Mauritania and Mali has caused suffering to livestock breeders in Mauritania, as residents of the eastern and southern regions are accustomed to heading to the country of Mali during periods of drought in search of pasture for their livestock.
In recent months, relations between Mauritania and Mali have become tense after Malian forces, accompanied by Wagner forces, stormed Mauritanian villages on the border, forcing Nouakchott to summon its Malian ambassador last April to protest.
Morocco
In Morocco, the drought for the sixth year in a row casts a shadow over the livestock sector, affecting the prices of Eid sacrifices in the country.
Although supply exceeds demand in the sector, according to the Minister of Agriculture, Muhammad Seddiqi, families are afraid of the high prices of sacrificial animals for the current year, which prompted parliamentarians to alert this, considering that when supply exceeds demand, prices decline and not the other way around.
The supply of livestock in Morocco during the current Eid al-Adha is about 7.8 million heads, compared to 6 million requests, in addition to the Moroccan government’s allocation of support to sheep importers.
According to livestock traders, sacrifices cost more than 3,000 dirhams ($300) per head, while some other markets sell a kilo for between 65 dirhams ($6.5) and 83 dirhams ($8.3).
The government is trying to reassure public opinion, due to news circulating about the rise in livestock prices with the approaching Eid al-Adha.
In this context, the Moroccan Minister of Agriculture, Mohamed Seddiqi, said in the House of Representatives on May 20 that supply exceeds demand on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, and that 34 temporary markets for Eid sacrifices had been established and equipped nationwide, in coordination with local authorities to strengthen the sheep marketing system.
Prices of sacrifices in Arab countries
These are the prices of sacrifices (rams or sheep) in Arab countries, according to Al Jazeera Net correspondents:
- JordanThe minimum sacrifice is $240 and the maximum is $410.
- LebanonThe minimum sacrifice is $350 and the maximum is $560.
- IraqThe minimum sacrifice is $200 and the maximum is $300.
- EgyptThe price per kilo of live sheep ranges between $3.4 and $3.6.
- KuwaitThe minimum sacrifice is $292 and the maximum is $455.
- SudanThe minimum sacrifice is $70 and the maximum is $120.
- Syria (opposition-controlled territory)The minimum sacrifice is $250 and the maximum is $400.
- Syria (regime-controlled territory)The minimum sacrifice is $200 and the maximum is $350.
- MauritaniaThe minimum sacrifice is $90 and the maximum is $180.
- MoroccoThe minimum sacrifice is $200 and the maximum is $500.
- QatarThe minimum sacrifice is $250 and the maximum is $350.
- TunisiaThe minimum sacrifice is $192, and the maximum is $480.
- AlgeriaThe minimum sacrifice is $350 and the maximum is $400.
- Sultanate of OmanThe minimum sacrifice is $112 and the maximum is $727.
- The occupied Palestinian interiorThe minimum sacrifice is $900 and the maximum is $1,100.
- PalestineThe minimum sacrifice is $700 and the maximum is $900.
