Scarcity of beef has hit markets in Edo State due to the strike action by the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria (AUFCDN).
The scarcity which led to insufficient beef in the market also resulted in a price increase.
Most of the butchers and sellers attributed the rise in price and shortage of beef to the ongoing strike which has led to the closure of several routes and has prevented the movement of cattle from the northern to the southern part of the country.
A visit to the Edo State abattoir complex at Ikpoba Hill in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of the state on Monday indicated that the marketplace which was hitherto filled with a flurry of activities was quiet as there was little or no sale of beef.
Speaking with a cross-section of the butchers in Benin City, they said there were no cattle to slaughter and even the ones present were expensive.
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One of the buyers, Solomon Ekhator, said the hand of a cattle is now sold at N85,000 as against N60,000 sold earlier.
“We have witnessed a rise in price before but today is the worst. The government should do something to solve the issue with the union or else it will be worse in the coming days,” Ekhator said.
Reacting, Akhere Odijie, chairman Association of butchers, Edo State chapter, urged those in authority to quickly intervene with a view to resolving the strike by the union.
“It is as a result of the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria (AUFCDN). Today, we have started feeling the impact.
“We still have some cows in the bush within Benin metropolis. A cow that is supposed to be sold at N250,000 or N300,000 is now being sold at N450,000,” Odijie said.
The union had on Thursday last week embarked on an indefinite strike to drive home its demands. Among the union’s requests is the protection of its members.
