Assessment of poultry products supply and market prices during avian influenza outbreak in Nigeria evidence from Osun state

Abstract

Avian Influenza outbreak was reported among Nigerian poultry farmers in 2006. The epidemic had serious implication for poultry farming development because several birds were destroyed and those that did not get infected lost market values due to reduction in demand. This study analyzed the impact of the epidemic on market prices of poultry products using survey data obtained from poultry product suppliers and consumers. The data were analyzed with simple descriptive statistics. Results show that 90% of the marketers reported drastic reduction in sale while 95% of the consumers reduced or totally abandon consumption of poultry products. Prices of poultry products also decline with turkey recording the highest reduction (N5,000.00 per bird). It was recommended that stakeholders in the poultry industry should design consumer education and risk mitigation media programs for the public before any future outbreak in order to minimize future losses. © Medwell Journals, 2012.