The Association of Fast Food and Confectioners of Nigeria (AFFCON), an umbrella body of quick service restaurant in Rivers State has called on the State Government and individuals to invest in ranching in order to reduce the price of livestock in the State.
The chairman of the association Oluwatoyin Alabi told our reporter that Rivers State has enough land to accommodate the number of livestock that resident consume daily. He said the rising price of petroleum products globally has affected the transportation of bringing in livestock into the State.
” The Cow that we use to buy in our operations for 250 thousand naira is now sold at 390 thousand naira, and it is with beg. The price of petroleum has been going up and up as a result of market forces on the international oil market prices”
” We have enough grazing land in Rivers State, whereby ranching can be done. It will eliminate a lot of cost, especially the cost of transportation” he stated.
Mr Alabi, however, said that closure of the slaughter market is not necessarily responsible for the hike in price of meat in the market.
“It might be to a large extent correct, but we have other cases where these Cows can be dropped, like that Yam zone in Eleme junction.
We have a lot of space where Cows can be dropped in Rivers State”
” Slaughter issue may not be the main issue, but it can be part of it. The main issue is that the cost of transportation is having a large effect on the cost of Cow, Goat, Ram and all other animals that comes from the up North” he said.
