Some meat and fish sellers in Awka, the Anambra State capital, have expressed concern over the poor patronage of their businesses and have called on the government to intervene to sustain them.
They expressed their feelings during a market survey conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Awka.
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The sellers attributed the poor patronage of their goods to the hike in petrol pump prices and economic meltdown.
Brenda Ugwu, a meat seller at Eke-Awka market, told NAN that the hike in petrol pump price affected their businesses badly.
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He said the cost of buying cows had increased significantly due to insecurity in the north, inflation, and transportation costs.
The butcher said that all these factors led to low daily patronage.
Mr Ugwu said that a big cow that sold for N800,000 between December 2025 and February 2026 now sells for N1.2 million, which affected the portion sold to customers.
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According to him, a kilogramme of beef sold for N7,500 in March now goes for N8,500.
“In 2025, for instance, we had a reasonable portion for N3,000, but now we sell such a portion for between N4,000 and N5,000.
“I appeal to the government to intervene by regulating the cost of cows and their logistics to enable sellers to gain profits,” he said.
Bama Onu, another meat seller, explained that the country’s harsh economic conditions caused the situation.
Mr Onu said that these harsh conditions needed to be addressed urgently to prevent further suffering.
He noted that before now, they killed up to six cows a day, but currently, they hardly kill up to three cows a day.
In a related development, Agatha Okelue, a fish seller, said that in 2025, a carton of ice fish, called Scumbia, was sold at N40,000, but now it is sold for between N80,000 and N90,000.
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“Now, a piece of fish is sold between N4000 and N5000.
Nkemdilim Ogbonna, a buyer, told NAN that the economic situation in the country was now beyond the reach of everyone and urged the government to help out.
Mrs Ogbonna said that many families could no longer afford meat or fish at home and had resorted to crayfish, at least to have protein in their meals.
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