Live sheep exports ‘decreasing’ as Eid Al Adha approaches

AMMAN (JT) - The Ministry of Agriculture has been decreasing the number of live sheep exported to Saudi Arabia in the last two months to ensure the availability of sheep for slaughter for Eid Al Adha. In a statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, on Sunday, the ministry’s assistant secretary general for livestock affairs, Faisal Arqan, said the ministry has lowered the number of sheep exported to Saudi Arabia to 15,000 to ensure a total of 30,000 heads of sheep in the local market during Eid Al Adha. He added that the ministry will import 145,000 sheep from various countries to keep prices reasonable during the feast, according to Petra. Eid Al Adha, or the feast of sacrifice, marks the end of the pilgrimage season, when Muslims of sufficient means are required to sacrifice livestock in remembrance of the Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail for God. In a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times on Saturday, the Foodstuff Traders Association (FTA) called on the government to address the expected increase in demand for animals for sacrifice during Eid Al Adha.FTA president Samer Jawabreh said local meat prices are currently stable but are set to rise as demand is expected to increase sharply.