Butchers’ association chairman wants loan for members
By NASIRU MUHAMMAD

THE chairman Butchers Association, Alhaji Shehu Malanta, has called on the Kano state government to assist members of his association secure loans to boost their business.
The chairman, who spoke to Daily Triumph agric correspondent in an exclusive interview, said such assistance was given to their counterparts in Yobe, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Bauchi states.
He said if the gesture is extended to them, that will add to their efforts of ensuring that people in the state are sold hygienic and cheap meat, stating that the move will also make the product available at all times.
Alhaji Malanta said his association renders a lot of assistance to the society in many areas such as in the provison of hygienic and cheap meat in many locations around the state, stating that they also travel outside the state to get animals for slaughtering rather than relaying on others to bring them down for sale.
He said in order to tally with the modern trend, most of his members now use scales in selling meat, but observed that they also sale to other people who cannot afford to buy it on scale basis because it is more expensive.
Meanwhile, the chairman said in order to ensure that each meat sold to the public came from healthy animals, they have veterinary doctors who examine them at all times.
On whether they have bad eggs among his members, the chairman said, “in every association there must be bag eggs, but it is very hard to see someone among us sale dead meat.
“In our effort to sanitise this trade, anytime we have report of arrest of some people with dead meat, we ensure that such culprits are charged to court.
“There was even a recent report in the media of someone in our association that was prosecuted in a court because he tried to sale meat that was earlier examined to come from an infected animal. That person was also fined by our association and he will also be suspended.”
He called on the general public to report to either his association or the nearest police station anyone suspected to be selling either dead or stolen meat.
Alhaji Malanta said they get their supply of animals for slaughter from the neighbouring countries of Niger, Cameroun and Chad as well as from local sources.
He also called on the state government to revisit the proposal of establishing an international cattle market at Dawakin Kudu, noting that the move will help a lot in the availability of meat in the state.
The chairman explained that the move will also curtail the risk his members and others face by traveling outside the country to import the animals. “With the market available in our midst, anyone will simply go there and buy whatever he wants to buy.”
Alhaji Malanta said currently, they are flooring the spot they slaughter animals so as to ensure meat sold is hygienic, stating that they have also made available to their members, a cold store to save their meat from spoiling and they have ensured that it has constant power supply through the provision of a steady generator.