Comparative analysis of the demand for beef and mutton among households in enugu metropolis, nigeria

Beef and mutton are meat types derived from cattle and sheep respectively. They are popular meat sources for households in Enugu metropolis Nigeria, although in varying degrees. This study was carried out to examine the comparative nature of the demand for these sources of protein in the study area. The data were generated from secondary and primary sources. Secondary data was collected from existing relevant literatures. The primary data was collected from a field survey using a set of questionnaires administered randomly to selected 105 households in the study area. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. The results of the study showed that beef had a higher demand in terms of quantity consumed and frequency of purchase than mutton. In the low expenditure groups, mutton was not consumed at all. Household’s total expenditure and non–resident household members were significant in explaining household’s consumption of beef, while it was only the total expenditure that was significant in explaining the household expenditure on mutton. The expenditure elasticity for beef was 0.885, while that of mutton was 0.00073.