Mr Samson Okafor, chairman, Butchers Association at the Jos Abattoir, has decried low patronage by buyers while blaming it on the current financial challenges facing Nigerians.
Okafor, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Jos, said the financial challenges were affecting butchers and their business.
He lamented that in the past, butchers slaughtered 200 cows daily, excluding goats, but due to the current economic crunch, they hardly slaughtered up to 30 cows daily.
The chairman stated apart from the financial crunch, the high cost of purchasing and transporting the cows had also affected their price making them more expensive than they were in the past.
“In 2020 till mid-2021, a big cow cost between N150, 000 to N180,000. However, the scenario is different now, that size of cow now goes for N230, 000 to N 300,000,” he disclosed.
Okafor further revealed that the abattoir was confronted with the challenge of insecurity due to the absence of perimeter fencing.
He stated that the absence of the fence had led to porosity of the abattoir, making it more vulnerable for the animals in the stalls to break free and for them to be stolen.
“We have been pleading with the government to come to our aid in erecting a fence,” Okafor said.
The chairman further decried the insufficient supply of potable water at the abattoir.
“We have been appealing to the government to provide potable water, to enable us maintain optimum sanitary standards at the abattoir,” he said.
Okafor said that the association has banned its members from using tyres in processing the hides of animals due to the health implications.
He said that members now make use of firewood and charcoal in processing the hides of animals.
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