Beef Production and Marketing in Nigeria: Entrepreneurship in Animal Agriculture

The objective of the study is to survey the current beef production systems and marketing in Nigeria as a means of encouraging entrepreneurship in animal agriculture. One hundred (100) beef producers and marketers were randomly selected for interviews and discussion on beef production and marketing dynamics. Data generated were subjected to descriptive statistics to explain the trend of beef production and marketing in the study area. Beef are produced in the area majorly by pastoralism (75%), home fattening (15%) and government institutions (10%). Market prices of beef cattle in Mubi are determined by visual evaluation which incorporates element of indicators such as breed, age, sex, colour, body condition score, temperament, anus stain and the purpose of buying the animals. Inadequate market information, manipulative ways of market intermediaries, high cost of transportation, lack of infrastructure and credit facilities, fluctuation in demand and supply, cattle rustling and buying of stolen animals, inadequate security within the market place and on the roads and payment of heavy taxes and clearing of checkpoints on the roads formed constraints faced by the producers and marketers. Therefore, beef cattle production and marketing in the study area and Nigeria, in general, are predominantly controlled by intermediaries who benefit more, while primary producers and the end consumers do not get the desired value for their efforts. It is recommended that, since beef cattle production and marketing is not isolated from national and international political and socio-economic policies, the interactions between the producers, marketers and broader sectors should be taken into account in order to generate holistic and reliable data that would inform effective interventions.