Expenditure Pattern for Beef Consumption in Selected Households in Southern Nigeria

Against the backdrop of increasing protein deficiency arising from low per capita consumption of animal protein which may pose threat to market demand for beef in Nigeria, this study was designed to analyze the expenditure patterns and determinant of beef consumption in selected households in Southern Nigeria. Specifically, the study was designed to estimate the monthly expenditure on beef; evaluate the influence of household income and household size of expenditure on beef as well as determine other factors which influence the monthly consumption of beef by households in the study area. Structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from sixty households using the simple random sampling technique. Data was subjected to descriptive statistics and multiple regressions analysis. The findings revealed that N3612.00 was used to consume 4.874 kgs of beef per month an equivalent of 0.16kgs per day (16 grammes/day). The preferred model, double log had an R2 of 0.63 and significant F ratio of 19.34 (significant at 1% level). This indicates that household size and monthly income were the major determinants of household expenditure on beef with elasticity of demands of 0.30% and 0.46% respectively. Both variables had t values of 3.190 and 4.231 respectively. It is therefore recommended that government should enact policies aimed at boosting cattle production in order to bring down price of beef and increase the consumption of beef. Keywords: Expenditure pattern, beef consumption, household