Econometric Evaluation of Beef Demand Determinants in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Nigeria

The study evaluated the determinants of beef consumption in urban and peri-urban areas of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select 70 households from two Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Port Harcourt. OLS multiple regression models (4 functional forms) were tried in analyzing the primary data gathered via a set of structured questionnaire. The test of hypothesis was done using Chow Break-Point test. It was found that price of substitute meat in the area, price of beef, marital status and household size of the respondents significantly determined the household’s expenses on beef consumed. It was also found that there was a significant difference in the slope coefficients of the demand function of beef among peri-urban and urban households. It was recommended that incentives that will enable farmers supply beef at more affordable prices be put in place by the government to encourage the household consumption of beef and meat products in the area such as input subsidy, price incentives to farmers, improved storage facilities and power supply to help in effective storage of meat products, and need to create more awareness about family planning to make food security more feasible in the metropolitan households.