Assessment of Marketing and Distribution Channels of Bushmeat in Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Marketing and consumption of bushmeat has been part of rural livelihoods. This study therefore assessed the marketing of bushmeat in Ilorin, capital of Kwara State, Nigeria. The respondents targeted include the hunters, wholesalers and retailers of bushmeat. Purposive sampling technique was employed for selection of 15 wholesalers and 20 retailers of bushmeat, while snowball method was adopted for sampling of 20 hunters making 55 respondents. Majority of the bushmeat hunters were male (90.0%), while 80.0% and 85.0% of the retailers and wholesalers respectively were female. The people that engaged in hunting were local farmers and full-time local hunters. About 63.3% of the hunters processed their kills to prevent decay (46.6%) and for value addition (36.7%). From estimation, the increase in the average seasonal selling prices for the bushmeat was as high as 100% between the middlemen in some cases, while some was just about 10% or below. Marketing of the bushmeat is mainly driven by the final consumers, hence there is the need for proper public education and awareness creation on the implication of killing animals in the wild. Training on domestication of wild animals should be organized among the hunters, marketers and consumers with incentive provided for their establishment.