By Ahmed Kaigama
Some residents in Bauchi have expressed concern over meat price hike amid growing demand of the product occasioned by the Ramadan fast.
A check by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday at Wunti and Muda-Lawal markets in Bauchi metropolis showed that prices had shot up by about 25 per cent in the past one week.
A kilogramme of beef was sold at N2,200 as against N1,800 while a set of cow leg was sold at N8,000 as against N3,500 before the Ramadan fast.
A crate of egg was sold at N1,800 as against its old price of N1,670 while a one kilogramme chicken costs N3,500 as against N3,000 it sold in the past few days.
Prices of rice, sugar and oil had indicated similar increase in prices as a 50kg bag of rice was sold at N27,500, sugar N24,700 and 25 litre cooking oil sold at N33,500 as against N24,000, N23,500 and N29,000, respectively.
Some of the residents who spoke to NAN said that the trend had exposed them to difficulties.
Mr Manu Alhaji-Iro, an eatery operator, said that he reduced the quantity of meat he used on daily basis as he could not afford the exorbitant prices at the market.
”Now, I only buy small meat because the price has gone up in the market. Prices keep going up day by day,” he said.
Also commenting, Isah Saleh and Inuwa Abdulsamad, decried the hike in prices, saying that the trend forced many families to drop meat out of their shopping menu.
However, Abu Maikashi, a meat seller, said he was making brisk businesses since the beginning of the Ramadan fast.
Maikashi attributed hike in meat prices to the high cost of animal feeds, adding that prices would further go up inview of the growing demand of beef in the area. (NAN)
