By GINIKA OKOYE

Many butchers and consumers of beef in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have decried the rising cost of cattle in the market.

Some of them who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday, said the high cost was due to the current scarcity of the animals occasioned by its transitional period.

Mr. Chukwuemeka Victor, a cattle dealer and butcher in Durumi market, said the prices of the animals increased generally from N150,000 to N200,000 on both the small, medium and big sized cow.

Victor attributed the increase to scarcity of the old species (dry season cow) to give way to the new species (wet season cow).

He said that small sized cow which went for between N350,000 and N400,000 was now being sold for between N500,000 and N600,000.

Victor said that a medium sized cow formerly sold between N600,000 and N700,000 now went for between N800,000 and one million naira while the biggest sized ones now went for between N1.5 million and two million naira.

He said that a kilo of beef formerly sold for between N5000 and N5,500 was now being sold for between N6,500 and N7,000.

?This is the season for the animals to be expensive due to this season when new species of cattle is coming out and the old ones are going.

?Any season it is time for the transition when the new ones are coming out, the old ones become so scarce and expensive just like yams.

?By June to July, the price will come down when the wet season cow will come out very well,? he said.

Another butcher in Nyanya market, Mr. Theophilus Adeoye, said the increase was affecting his business negatively as some of his customers had resorted to other alternative for their protein need.

?We are running shortages now. I am just buying to maintain some of my customers who still come to patronise me,? he said.

A consumer of beef, Mrs. Ifesinachi Okoro, said she no longer purchased beef as the price was higher than her budget and purchasing power.

Okoro said she had resorted to the purchase of fish for her family?s protein needs.

Mrs. Beatrice Ejeh, a food vendor, said she had increased the price of a piece of beef from N200 to N250.

?Many of my customers now eat without beef these days.

?Some of them will just request for kpomo just for something to be in their food,? she said. (NAN)

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