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"When people get wealthier, they start knowing food
and make variations in their consumption pattern,"
said a friend of mine when asked why consumption and
the price of mutton and beef increased these days.
"In spite of the ever growing prices of sheep and
cattle or the upcoming hyperinflation for that
matter, I see people greedily purchasing chunks of
beef or scores of rams, sheep and goats from the
cattle market." My friend was emphatic in his
statement.
"As a matter of fact, when demand for food
increases, the norm is that supply also increases,
although not so quickly unless there is some reserve
food in stock. In the interim period, the price of
the existing food in the market consequently shoots
up," he stated. I did not know that this kind of
academic argument could hold any water in the cattle
market in our village. The facts on the ground
reveal that the stronger the purchasing power of
consumers, the greater the supply and the higher the
price.
The other day I had accompanied my neighbor Moraga
to the sheep stall at the back of the Belay Zeleke
School compound. We stepped down from the taxi near
the TOTAL Filling Station on the Godjam Road and had
to walk some distance due west. We saw several
vehicles parking on the gravel lane, which is too
rough for motorcars to advance. Dozens of pestering
brokers and porters crowded us, offering their
services to select, purchase, carry or slaughter the
animals and skin them. Some of them gave their word
that they would buy the skins. Some consumers stood
still to see the extension of the Wingate Ring Road
under construction visible far away. Others were
wondering why the Road Transport Authority did not
consider upgrading this vital linkage.
About a year ago there was only one dealer of sheep
and goats. Now on any regular day you will find as
many as 20 or more packs of animals owned by as many
dealers. During holiday season, they become almost
countless as farmer-cum-traders come to town to sell
their herds.
The price escalation may be skyrocketing day by day.
But what is dismaying is that consumers never seem
to mind. This was the question raised by my friend,
who noted the unusual passiveness of the
market-goers.
"It has almost turned out to be a question of
survival of the fittest. Those who can afford the
rising price acquire not only what they need, but
also what they desire, whilst those who cannot
afford to do so are knocked out of the game," he
lamented. My friend appeared to have picked up one
of those red books recently for want of a better
thing to read. How did that old motto go? "From whom
according to his ability, to whom according to his
needs," was it?
His arguments may hardly make any indent in the
outlook of modern day capitalism or liberalism if
you like, but the hard fact is that the widening gap
between the haves and the have-nots remains as
pressing an issue as ever, whether we say it or not.
Moraga, a middle-aged shopkeeper, and his wife have
lately began to lead a decent life, particularly
since their daughter Rahima has been remitting some
money every month through the Western Union money
transfer system. We might, by way of passing,
recognise that remittance has of late become one of
the country's biggest earners of foreign currency.
The annual remittance of foreign money is nearing
the billion Birr mark, not even counting the amount
transferred via kith and kin in ways that cannot be
tracked.
Moraga is using the money quite wisely by the looks
of things. He has repaired his house and bought some
furniture including an old TV set. The family is now
exploring food and consuming more varied and
nutritional items, including meat and dairy. Once in
a while the family, unlike previous years, enjoys
fruits and vegetables. "Exploring food" is a term I
inserted advisedly as most of us are only used to
eating the same items, year-in and year-out. Some of
us have now started consuming beef and mutton even
during non-holiday seasons. Holiday meat consumption
in this country is a way of life.
Last Monday Moraga bought a sheep to slaughter for
the Eid Al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice
celebrations. Moraga's son Temam, a 10-year old
student, was petting and grooming the 400-Birr ram a
day before the poor animal was slaughtered. The
sheep seemed to appreciate the grooming judging by
its contented humming. At times Temam had to leave
the sheep and run an errand for his mother. The
sheep would then bleat. The boy seemed to have
established such an affinity with the poor animal
that he wept in protest against the killing of the
animal.
The next day, the Eid Al-Adha Holiday, Moraga had to
make the religious sacrifice much to the dismay of
Temam, who wept as the sheep was crying in pain
during the process. A little later, the young lad
was huffing and puffing to blow up the sheep's
bladder to make it a sizable balloon to play with.
With a piece of string he tied the little balloon to
a pole and spent much time playing with it. Moraga
was carried away by the quality of the mutton and
was repeating himself throughout the holiday
afternoon. Truly speaking, the 400-birr sheep was
hardly grown and would have been worth 150 birr some
weeks back.
Generally speaking, the production of food in
developing countries has increased significantly
over the last 10 years or so, according to FAO
statistics. Consumption has not only increased in
volume but also in variety for the simple reason
that people have grown wealthier. Secondly, the
increase in population, particularly in the
Sub-Sahara Region, is so immense that consumption as
a rule must increase. Countries like China and India
of course are experiencing a leap in the consumption
of meat and dairy products.
Livestock production increases at the expense of
deforestation in Latin America in particular and
land degradation in many other developing countries
where there is overgrazing of pastoral territories.
In some countries, including Ethiopia, even grass is
exported, not to speak of the illegal trade of
livestock across borders. We have good reasons to
complain about the price hike of beef, now selling
for 45 Birr or more per kilo.
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