The Economics of Cattle and Meat Marketing in Ivory Coast - A Summary

Abstract

This paper evaluates the economic performance of the cattle and meat marketing system in Ivory Coast, based on 18 months of field research. The paper discusses recent changes in Ivory Coast's pattern of meat supply, the current organization of the cattle and meat trades, the need for improved market infrastructure, and the problems and costs of transporting cattle and meat to and within Ivory Coast. It also discusses determinants of the most profitable location for slaughter, and what the current patterns of cattle and meat prices imply for the financial viability of proposed cattle fattening projects. The paper concludes with a set of policy recommendations. The marketing system was found to be rather efficient given the infrastructure and institutional framework within which it operates. Major improvements in market performance, however, could result from upgrading livestock transportation and market infrastructure and from changing some of the rules under which the cattle and meat trades operate.