Consumers lament high costs of eggs, meat, seek govt intervention

Some consumers of eggs and meat have decried the persistent rise in the price of eggs and various kinds of meat, especially livestock.

Some of them, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday, said the price increase was affecting consumption, especially for children who needed the protein.

They appealed to the government to assist in curbing the high prices to meet the purchasing power of consumers.

A consumer, Mrs. Christiana Agede, said that a kilo of cow meat, which was formerly sold between N4,500 and N5,000, now goes for between N6,500 and N7,000. Agede said she rarely patronised the sellers because of her low purchasing power. She said that eggs were her family’s respite for meat but had to stop buying when the price skyrocketed.

“We now buy brisket bones as an alternative to meat in my house. I prefer it because when you buy at least N1,500 worth of brisket bones, it looks bigger and it is more nutritious. My children do not like it, but I have convinced them to always consume it because of its nutritive value,” she said.

Mrs. Henrietta Daniel, a single parent, said the high cost of eggs had made her remove them from the food menu of her children. “Eggs are too expensive, and I can no longer afford them. In fact, most times, my children eat without any form of protein in their meals, though I know it is not good for their growth and age. The Federal Government should help us in finding a lasting solution to these price increases,” she said.

Ms. Adaeze Asiji, a consumer, said that the price of chicken had also skyrocketed. Asiji said that a kilo of chicken, formerly sold between N3,500 and N4,000, was now being sold between N5,000 and N6,500.

Mrs. Elizabeth Adodi, another consumer and a civil servant, decried the continuous increase in the prices of meat. She appealed to the government to extend the same efforts that helped in crashing some food prices to the livestock sector also.

Mr. Everistus Nnamani, a butcher at Mararaba market, said that the increase in price was due to the hike in transportation. Nnamani said that a big-sized cow, which sold initially for N800,000, now costs between N1 million and N1.5 million. He said that a medium-sized cow, which was sold at between N400,000 and N500,000, now costs between N600,000 and N700,000. He said that a small-sized cow, which went for between N150,000 and N200,000, now goes for N400,000.

He attributed the constant hike in prices of cattle to the cost of diesel, petrol, and insecurity. “The constant increase in the price of cows is affecting my business. Before now, I would buy six to ten cows and keep them to slaughter and sell one after another. Now, for me to purchase one cow is even difficult because of the price. I spend more money buying one than before, and most of my profit goes into buying. Another issue that is causing the increase in the price of cows is kidnapping. Bandits now prefer to kidnap a trailer load of cows and sell them rather than humans,” he said.

Mr. Kelechi Odo, a butcher and trader of goat meat at Nyanya market, said that the exchange rate was the major cause of the hike in prices of goats. He said that they usually buy their goats from neighbouring countries like Niger and Cameroon. Odo said that a small-sized goat, which initially cost between N15,000 and N18,000, is now being sold for between N25,000 and N28,000. The butcher said that a medium-sized goat is now being sold for between N27,000 and N28,000 when compared to between N20,000 and N22,000 that it was sold. Odo said a big-sized goat now went for between N32,000 and N35,000 as against N28,000 sold before.

Another butcher, Alhaji Yusuf Ali, a dealer of rams at the Kugbo ram market, said that rams were being sold for between N50,000 and N150,000 depending on the size.