High cost of transportation affects price of livestock – MACBAN
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has attributed the current hike in prices of livestock and livestock products to the prevailing exchange rate and high cost of fuel.
The National President of MACBAN, Mr. Baba Ngelzarma, who spoke with the newsmen on Friday in Abuja, said the surge in transportation prices negatively affected the livestock business.
Ngelzarma said that the challenge had affected the source of livelihood of the pastoralists due to low patronage by retailers and butchers.
He said that a lot of the pastoralists and retailers had lost their businesses due to a lack of purchasing power.
Supreme News reports that the price of a fully-grown cow as of 2022 ranged from N150,000 to N300,000, while at present it ranges from N500,000 to N2 million, depending on the size.
One kilo of meat that was previously sold for N1500 to N2000 now goes for N5500 to N6000000, depending on the location.
“Generally, inflation in the country, the high cost of petroleum, and the escalating price of the dollar are the contributing factors to the high cost of cows across the country because prices of cow feed and medications have increased astronomically.
“The increase in cost of transporting cows from the forest to the market and from the market to other parts of the country is another extra cost in addition to the cost of feeding, among others.’’
Ngelzarma urged the Federal Government to adopt policies that would improve the naira as well as reduce the price of petroleum products.
He said that the government must prioritise subsidies for consumables for easy access and affordability by the general public.
“Subsidising petroleum will create an avenue for corruption but when you subsidise food, the public will feel a sort of respite from the current inflation rate and will go a long way to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians
“The gesture will boost our economy and attract foreign exchange, ” he said.
Meanwhile, Muhammed Adamu, a cow dealer and butcher in Mararaba, Nasarawa State, who blamed the hike in cow prices on insecurity, described the situation as unbearable to the butchers, meat sellers, and consumers.
Adamu said a lot of them were scared to go into the forest to buy cows at a cheaper rate due to insecurity.
He said there had been instances where some of their colleagues were kidnapped and killed in the forest on the verge of buying cows.
According to him, at the moment, they buy their cows from pastoralists within the town at very high prices.
“If we purchase a cow today at the rate of 1 million naira, the possibility of buying after selling is little, because most times, after selling, we do not realise the cost price.
“We source for money elsewhere to balance the deficit and additional costs at the moment to enable us to sustain the business because the price of cow was continuously on the rise, ” he said
