Butchers and people who buy animals like cows and goats are worried. The prices of these animals keep going up.
On Sunday, some butchers talked to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. They said the higher prices are making it hard to run their businesses.
They asked the government to help reduce the prices. This would make it easier for customers to buy meat.
Mr. Everistus Nnamani, who sells meat at Mararaba market, mentioned that a big cow used to cost N800,000. Now, its price is between N1 million and N1.5 million.
Nnamani said that before, a medium cow was priced at N400,000 to N500,000. Now, it costs N600,000 to N700,000. A small cow used to be N150,000 to N200,000, but now it’s N400,000. He said prices are rising because it’s hard to find cows, fuel costs are high, and there is insecurity.
He explained,
“The price of cows keeps going up. It’s making it hard for my business. I used to buy six to 10 cows and sell them one by one. Now, buying even one cow is tough because of the price.”
“I spend more money buying one cow than before. Most of my profit goes into buying cows. Another problem is kidnapping. Bandits now kidnap trailers full of cows and sell them,” Nnamani said.
Rise in Animal Prices
Mr. Kelechi Odo, who sells goat meat at Nyanya market, said the higher prices of goats are due to exchange rates. Their goats come from countries like Niger and Cameroon. A small goat used to cost N15,000 to N18,000. Now, it’s N25,000 to N28,000.
A medium goat that was N20,000 to N22,000 now costs N27,000 to N28,000. A big goat used to be N28,000 but now costs N32,000 to N35,000.
Another butcher, Alhaji Yusuf Ali, who sells rams at the Kugbo market, said rams cost between N50,000 and N150,000, depending on their size.
A shopper, Mrs. Christiana Agede, said one kilogram of cow meat used to be N4,500 to N5,000. Now, it’s N5,500 to N6,000. She said she can’t buy meat often due to high prices and buys cheaper brisket bones instead for her family.