Pattern of Meat Consumption in Jalingo Local Government Area in Northern Taraba State Nigeria

ABDULRAHMAN A.M., B.J. MUFWA, MUSA B. AND INNOCENT S.B.

Department of Animal Production

College of Agriculture, Jalingo, Taraba State, Nigeria.

E-mail: aamaigari77@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

The study was carried out in Jalingo local government area Taraba State, to determine meat consumption pattern in the area and factors affecting same. A well designed questionnaire of which one hundred and sixty three (163) copies were used in the survey served as a source of data collection which covered a period of two weeks. It is observed that 98.1% of the respondent in the study area were male and had formal education with 96.9% the household size is 10 and above which are the majority with 44.5%, their primary occupation are civil servants with 55.2%. And It was found that most (82.2%) of the people within the locality obtained their meat mainly from the market. Even though (98%) of the respondents kept domestic livestock, they rarely consumed what they kept, but rather used them for income generation, and for entertaining guests. Meat preference was in the order of fish, beef, chevon, poultry, pork and bush meat. It was found that most (63.8%) of the people consumed meat once daily. The consumption of meat was said to be high during festive periods such as Sallah, Christmas and New Year during which meat shortage occurred as a result of excessive demand. Most (83.4%) of the respondents sometimes preserved fresh meat by smoking for future consumption; taboos on consumption of meat (especially pig and dog) and self restriction by some people on the consumption of sheep and goat were also found among the people.  It is also found that majority of the people do not consumed disease/death carcass. Meat consumption pattern in the area was said to be better if the number of animals produced was high coupled with the high level of education among the people on the importance of consuming some of the animals they keep. Meat consumption in this area is influenced by a number of factors such as preference culture, economic and availability.