As the festive season approaches one will expect a boom in the sales of livestock in the market since Christmas celebration is always accompanied with chicken and goat meat in most households in Ghana, a livestock dealer told the Ghana News Agency.

But the case is different this year as the livestock sellers in the Wa Fadama market expressed concern on the poor sales as most of their animals get stuck in the local market, Mr Hamid Salim, popularly known as “one 7” said.

He said several of the sellers are disappointed as the local market is seeing poor patronage as compared to same period last year due to “lack of money in the system”.

Mr Salim said he used to sell about 20 fowls a day in 2017, amounting to GHC 600 but this year sales have declined drastically, especially this Christmas season as he sells only one to two fowls a day.

Mr Asumuu Musah, a goat seller, also complained that the market for goats was very low as compared to the same period last year when he used to sell about ten goats daily.

Mr Mohammed Muhadeen, the Chairman of Fadama Livestock Sellers Association, expressed optimism that sales would pick up in the cause of the week since most of their customers were expecting salary payments within the period to buy things for their loved ones during the Christmas celebrations.

But, Mr James Kanyiri, a sheep seller, shifted the blame of bad sales on the inability of GN Bank to pay their depositors, saying: “I think GN Bank is part of the problem we are facing now since we are unable to withdraw our savings and most of our customers are also affected.”