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Aseged Tesfaye, 41, teacher by training,
earns 714 Br gross monthly income and is the
lone bread winner for his family. He lives
with five members of his nuclear family in a
rented house in Nifas-Silk Lafto District.
Clipping his outspread umbrella, Aseged
looked stranded in dilemma as his eyes were
a painfully obvious indication of where he
stood at the sheep’s market in Kera.
Tempted by his financial standing in the
previous year when he afforded a
medium-sized lamb from the same market at
250 Br, Aseged found the cost of livestock
during this year’s holiday untouchable.
For the first time in his 18 years of
married life, Aseged could not afford buying
a lamb for his family. Going home with the
only affordable commodity - a chicken that
cost him 40 Br - has not taken him far in
convincing his family how expensive mutton
has become.
Members of his own family remain unpleased
to celebrate the holiday with chicken, as
their expectation of their father coming
home dragging a well-fed lamb behind him as
in the previous year was high.
Aseged stayed determined with his 230 Br in
his pocket to go around the market until the
last minutes hoping the cost of lamb would
come down. Unfortunately, the search was in
vain.
“If the only money in my possession cannot
buy a lamb that is big enough for seven
people to feast on, I would rather stay
without one, no matter the feeling of my
family,” Aseged bemoans.
His hope died out as the day neared to an
end in the Kera market where the
smallest lamb sold for 300 Br.
“If a holiday like this does not bring
happiness among family members anticipating
the traditional celebratory commodities,
some of the mood is lost,” a defeated Aseged
told Fortune.
For a middle aged father like Aseged, it
would be a painful experience, seeing the
sorry scenario at his home characterised by
the disappointment of his family members.
A team of Fortune staff members went
through observing the activities of holiday
oriented markets vis-à-vis the prices of
goods and the urge of consumers to buy
irrespective of the increase in price. Just
days before the holiday and its associated
shopping spree, little variability in prices
for specific goods may be seen across the
citiy’s markets. However, the variety of
choices in quality and size provide some
hope for different budget levels.
For instance, a small-sized sheep sold at
Kera sets consumers back about 250 Br,
while medium-sized and larger-sized sheep
run about 350 Br to 500 Br and 900 Br up to
1,400 Br respectively. Although prices have
increased by more than 50 to 100 Br from
last year depending on size, the demand has
also increased, according to one vendor.
As the inflation persists to remain high,
the price of other consumer goods went up
and remains unchanged even when the
condition in which the particular goods
would be better. One consumer challenged
that why should the price of cattle go up
while the export of livestock decreased
since the recent past.
For Alemu Derbe who vends cattle at the
Kara Kore market place taxes economy
wide reverberate through the market for many
goods.
“The rising prices of goods crucial to the
cattle supply chain like fuel trickles down
to the consumers,” says Alemu who sees the
system of brokers extracting profit on the
journey of cattle from the farm to the
consumer as a major contributor to high
prices.
An average-sized ox at Kara sold for
between 1,800 Br and 2,220 Br last year.
However, this year’s price now ranges from
2,500 Br to 3,000 Br. In some cases, larger
cattle increased in price by up to 1,000 Br.
Another person who deals with cattle at
Kara, Aynalem Demissie tells a different
story. He blames the scarcity of animal feed
and consequent higher price for products
such as frushika, a bi-product of
wheat widely used for animal feed.
“Cattle production inputs such as frushika,
which has increased to 140 Br per quintal up
from 70 Br per quintal in short period of
time, is to blame,” says Aynalem.
Fagulo,
another popular animal foodstuff obtained
from oil-seed, has shot up to 200 Br per
quintal from the previous year’s price of 70
Br per quintal.
The surge of price in jiru guaya,
used for animal feed, has shot up by about
150pc from 100 Br per quintal.
“Almost all types of commonly used animal
feed increased by 100pc,” Aynalem added.
Even though the volume of meat exports has
decreased, there are still many consumers
who expected to be dining on various
livestock products for the holidays but
cannot afford the new prices.
Cooking butter is another commodity whose
price increased. Last year, cooking fat such
as Melka Chega, Lega Gojam and
Sheno Lega were going for 36 Br, 43 Br
and 48 Br per kg respectivly at Gojam
Berenda in Mercato.
One of the most impressive increments is
seen in red pepper (berbere). Whereas 17kg (feresula)
of red pepper in Mercato was sold for 250 Br
a year ago and 1,200 Br a couple of months
back, the price now hovers around 700 Br.
According to a Mercato-based businessman,
due to the surge in the price of red-pepper
and drastic fluctuations month to month, of
late, very few people dare to buy 17kg of
this commodity as was the case before the
price hike. Most customers turned up to his
shop only to buy red-pepper in small
quantities.
Other varieties of red pepper may be
benefiting from consumer substitutions to
cheaper types. While 17kg of alaba
red pepper sold at 650 Br in Mercato,
mareko, the most popular type, and
tora go for 700 Br per feresula
and 550 Br per feresula respectively.
Interestingly, the price of chicken has
decreased by about 20pc, possibly owing to
the red pepper price surge, a commodity
complimentary to the fowl in large
quantities in the dish doro wat.
The average price of chicken in the previous
holiday was as much as 30 Br to 35 Br,
decreasing this year to 20 Br to 25 Br.
Large-size chickens are sold this year at
about 40Br to 45 Br; the same-sizes were
sold last year between 50 Br to 60 Br.
Vegetables such as onions at this time in
the holiday go five Birr per kilogramme
while a kilo of garlic sold in the same
market at 10 Br per kg at the vegetable
market (atikilt tera). However, the
price of these commodities rises slightly at
six Birr and 11 Br per kilo correspondingly.
In various marketplaces such as Cherkos,
Shola and Mercato, the prices of different
types of edible oil vary slightly but most
have increased. Edible oil was sold in
Mercato at 14 Br per litre last year and now
the price of cooking oil like line-seed
costs as much as 20 Br per litre. In Cherkos
market, nigger oil is sold at 21 Br per
litre.
Given the rate of inflation with which the
prices of many consumer goods increased
without any sign of being stabilised any
time soon, Aseged, much as he was longing
for the holiday to come and happily
celebrate by dining and wining with his
beloved family members, cannot wait for the
trying time on his pocket to pass.
“I have never experienced a time when the
holiday season becomes the source of sadness
rather than joy,” a frustrated Aseged told
Fortune. “I just hope the
post-holiday prices turn downwards so my
family can have a belated celebration.”
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