A survey of chicken marketers in Oyo Town, Nigeria

There is an increase in the commercial activities of chicken marketers in Oyo town as a result of the town fast becoming a poultry hub in Oyo state. A survey was therefore conducted on the activities of chicken marketers in the town. A multi-stage sampling method of the chicken marketers in the town was employed. In the first stage, the town was divided into three, based on Local Government Area(LGA) basis and 30 questionnaires were administered in each of Oyo East and Oyo West LGAs, while 40 were administered in Atiba LGA. in the second stage, making a total of 100 questionnaires. From the study, majority of the respondents were female (58%), aged  between 20 and 39 years old (61%). The study also revealed that majority of the respondents (61%) sourced their chickens from local farms. Also, eighty eight percent (88%) of the respondents were aware of the ban on poultry products in Nigeria, while 55.55% of those who engaged in poultry product smuggling did so because of high profitability. The study revealed that 78% of the respondents sold their products dressed while the major challenge of the marketers was poor electricity supply (63%). Majority of the customs officers in the study area, claimed encounter with dressed chicken smugglers frequently while burning and burying of the contraband chickens was the major method of disposal adopted by the custom service. It is recommended that the customs service be better funded for efficiency and effectiveness. Key words: Oyo town, chicken marketers, chicken smugglers, food safety, Nigeria Customs Servic