Livestock dealers in Enugu have said that the increase in petroleum pump price and insurgency in some parts of the north have affected livestock prices.
A ram dealer at the new Artisan Market, Mallam Abdul Isa, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) during a survey in Enugu on Tuesday that the prices were high because the supply was low against the high demand.
“Most of our dealers no longer travel to the north to buy ram, instead they prefer to send money through banks to their customers to way-bill the animals for them,’’ he said.
Corroborating Isa’s claim, Mr Aminu Tarry, a cow dealer, said that the prices were high because people were afraid of traveling to the north to buy the livestock due to insurgency.
“The implication is that we no longer bargain before buying the animals and they are more expensive when they way-bill them,’’ he said.
A poultry products dealer, Mr Jude Oba, said that the prices were high because those that produced chicken could meet the demand.
He said that most of them did not buy day old chicks on time because things were hard and that some of them could not access bank loans as the interest rate was high.
A consumer, Mrs Jane Okolie, said that broilers were now sold between N2,200 and N4,000 as against between N1,500 and N2,500 previously.
The survey showed that a ram was sold for between N35,000 and N65,000 depending on the size as against N18,000 and N45,000 sold previously.
A cow now goes for between N100,000 and N280,000 depending on the size as against between N55,000 and N180,000 sold before.
A goat goes for between N15,000 and N35,000 depending on the size instead of between N8,000 and N25,000 before.