The Fulaku Yeso Yeso Development Association has called on the Federal Government to provide loan facilities for butchers nationwide as part of efforts to reduce the soaring cost of beef and other meat products.
The association said easier access to funding would allow butchers to buy cattle directly from livestock markets instead of relying on middlemen who inflate prices.
A kilogram of beef, which sold for between 5,500 and 6,500 naira earlier this year, is now being sold for between 8,000 and 9,000 naira in many parts of the country.
Speaking on Sunday, the National Security Adviser of the association, Comrade Pariya, said most butchers lacked the financial strength to purchase cows directly from farmers and were forced to buy on credit from dealers at higher prices.
According to him, the arrangement has contributed significantly to the rising cost of beef, skin and offal across the country.
He explained that cattle sold for between 500,000 and 750,000 naira at livestock markets are often resold by middlemen for as high as 1.3 million to 1.5 million naira depending on the location.
Pariya described the practice as exploitative, noting that many butchers only settle payments after selling the meat.
He maintained that government backed loans would enable butchers to purchase cattle directly from farmers, a move he said would help stabilise meat prices nationwide.
The association also blamed rising transportation costs and insecurity for the increase in beef prices, although Pariya argued that security concerns in some cattle producing areas are sometimes exaggerated.
He added that fear of insecurity discourages many traders from travelling to livestock markets.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of MAFYDA in Taraba State, Ibrahim Mohammed, attributed the increase in meat prices to the high cost of veterinary drugs, vaccines and consultation fees, as well as the shortage of grazing land for livestock.
