The Miyetti-Allah Fulaku Yeso Yeso Development Association (MAFYDA) has called on the Federal Government to introduce loan facilities for butchers across Nigeria, arguing that easier access to credit would help reduce the soaring cost of beef and related meat products.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the association’s National Security Adviser, Comrade Pariya, said many butchers are unable to purchase cattle directly from livestock farmers because they lack the necessary capital. As a result, they rely on intermediaries who resell cows at significantly higher prices.
According to Pariya, these middlemen have become a major factor behind rising beef prices nationwide.
“Most butchers usually pay them after selling the meat. But if the government supports the butchers with loans, they can go to the cattle markets and buy the number of cows they need. In the long run, prices will crash across the country,” he said.
Pariya explained that a large cow currently sells for between ₦500,000 and ₦750,000 at livestock markets. However, dealers often resell the same cattle to butchers for between ₦1.3 million and ₦1.5 million, depending on the location.
He also pointed to insecurity and transportation costs as additional pressures affecting the livestock supply chain, although he argued that security concerns are sometimes overstated.
“If butchers can go directly to the market and buy from farmers, everything will be easier,” he added.
Meanwhile, MAFYDA’s Taraba State Secretary, Ibrahim Mohammed, linked the sharp increase in meat prices to the rising cost of veterinary drugs, vaccines, consultation fees, and dwindling grazing land.
Recent market data reflects the pressure on consumers. A kilogramme of beef, which sold for between ₦5,500 and ₦6,500 earlier this year, now costs between ₦8,000 and ₦9,000 in many parts of the country.