By Beatrice Gondyi Bauchi
Meat sellers in Bauchi State have complained of low patronage amid economic hardship.
They sounded the alarm over a significant decline in customer patronage, citing the prevailing economic hardship in the country.
According to findings by SPEAR NEWS from local markets in Bauchi, the sales of meat products have plummeted, with many sellers attributing the downturn to the reduced purchasing power of potential buyers.
The chief security officer of Bauchi butchers association Abubakar Muncigari, attributed the decline to the price hike in purchase of the cattle. “The cause is that prices of the animals have soared very high and the standard of living now is very expensive and people have stopped eating meat. They view it as luxury. If meat prices would be dropped many people would start patronising us, coupled with the fact that we hardly move out”.
Another seller, Alhaji Adamu Musa Madaki, said he has been in the business for over 30 years but the patronage has never been this low.
Madaki who holds the title of Dan Madamin, Sarkin Pawan Bauchi, explained he inherited the business from his forefathers who have been the custodians of the butchering business, said “With the situation of things, these days, we don’t rear livestock like before, because the nature of the animals and their feeds now is very expensive.
“Most of the cattle we slaughter in this abattoir are from outside Bauchi. We get them mostly from Gombe, Potiskum, Azare, but mostly it’s from Gombe that we buy. With the way the market is, previously, we get a bull from 900,000 to 1.2 million naira, but now a bull goes for 2million to 2.5million, while a cow goes for 800,000 to 1.4million. Well this business is what we have inherited so even if we abandoned it because losses we can’t do any other business”, he said.
Madaki called on the government intervention in subsidising meat products. “We have been appealing for government support but no positive response yet. We don’t know if the fault is from the government or from our leaders. Every vocation enjoy government support except us. We need intervention from all the tiers government. It is a trade that has a rich history. It is a whole industry that even 5 companies cannot contain. I inherited this from both of my parents, in fact my grandfather is the Chief butcher (Sarkin Pawan) of Bauchi. I have spent over 30 years in this business.
Muncigari further explained that as a result of the decrease in sales only two abattoirs are functional in the metropolis.
“The abattoirs is situated in Inkil. We have 3 in Bauchi Local Government, one in Inkil here another in Steyr and Kofar Gombe, only two are functioning, that of Inkil and Kofar Gombe. We mostly slaughter cows sheep and goats, formally over 250 cows are killed daily but now we hardly kill 70 animals.”
He described their major challenge as lack of good infrastructure and government intervention.
” Our major challenge is the lack of government intervention, mostly the assistance is only on paper, and the road to the abatoir is in a deplorable condition. You follow the road and you saw how terrible it is. This kwata is over 35 years and still there is no access road, we need solar Borehole as we don’t have water, water is a problem. Yanjarida We call on the government to come in and end sure that things are done properly to safeguard public health. 25 under us but upto 1000 depending on who is slaughtering.
For Muktar, director planning research and statistics of Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency, the safety is a collaborative effort between the agency, livestock ministry and Bauchi local government to ensure safe and best practices are adhered to.
To this end they have assigned environmental health officer stationed at the abattoir. He said “We do not allow unwholesome practices”
One of the Slaughtermen, Musa Sallau describes his daily work and decried the low patronage as it affects them the workers “before we kill upto 50 I can kill and up to 7 alone ina day. We are looking for what to eat. In terms of wages we are not paid, it’s in the parts of the cow that we glean what will sustain us, but there are others who are paid by their ogas but mostly we are allowed bits here and there to sell. Alhamdullilah, we get because you see like 10 to12 men on one cow and we get enough to take care of our needs from here if we go to the market we still get.
“There is profit in the business. What we gather at the end of the day, we get up to 3 kg on a good day. Th business these days is struggling because the price of one cow now is the price of 4 previously and this has affected the owners who cannot afford to buy plenty cows. Our appeal to the government is for it to create jobs for us by allowing government institutions to patronise us.”
As the situation continues to unfold, meat sellers in Bauchi are hopeful that the government will take steps to address the economic challenges facing the state and revive the meat industry.
This will be in line with the goal of the SDGs goal 1 which seeks to end poverty and hunger in all ramifications and ensure equal rights to economic resources and access to basic services such as meat.
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