ABSTRACT

The study analyzed agribusiness households’ meat demand, consumption and poverty status in South East Nigeria. Multi-stage and simple random techniques were employed to select 255 respondents. Primary data were collected with the use of a well-structured questionnaire through the aid of enumerators. Frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviation, correlation, LA/AIDS model, ordinary least square, multinomial logit and probit regression models were used for data analysis. The findings showed that beef (38.11%) was most preferred meat type, as taste of the meat (28%), price (23.11%) and their income level (16%) as major reasons for their choice. The ‘Z’ (3.566) result showed that there was a statistically significant difference in per capita expenditure between the urban and rural agribusiness households. Ordinary Least Square regression analysis on factors influencing demand for beef, pork, chevron and chicken, revealed income, price of beef, age, household size and years spent in school as factors influencing demand for beef; also income, household size, age of household head, years spent in school and total expenditure on food were factors influencing demand for pork; household head, livestock farming and total expenditure on food were factors influencing demand for chevron while income, price of substitute, livestock farming, total expenditure on food were factors influencing demand for chicken in the study area. Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) Model revealed that the percentage change in prices of beef, chevon and chicken resulted to -0.8036, -0.5036 and - 0.6976 reduction in the quantity demanded respectively. Furthermore, coefficient of household size, income and age were significant variables influencing household preference/ choice for beef, pork, chevon and chicken in south East Nigeria. Result further showed that about 36% of the agribusiness household were considered being core poor. Furthermore, probit regression model shows that marital status, level of Education, value of output and access to credit were the significant variables influencing poverty status of agribusiness household in the area. It is therefore recommended that there should also be policy measures that will ensure increase in purchasing power of the agribusiness household heads which will invariably contribute positively to the improvement of nutritional and welfare status of the agribusiness households in South East Nigeria.