Poultry farmers blame egg price hike on scarcity, feed cost

The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has blamed the consistent hike in egg prices on low production and the high cost of feed.

The PAN Lagos state chairman, Mr. Mojeed Iyiola, and other stakeholders in the sector disclosed this in separate interviews with the newsmen on Wednesday in Lagos.

Supreme News reports that the price of eggs has increased tremendously, making the common source of protein in the past out of the reach of many Nigerians.

Supreme News also reports that a crate of eggs sells for between N3,800 and N4,000 from the farm gate and above N4,500 in retail shops and markets, compared to N3,200 to N3,500 when it was sold in May.

A tonne of maize currently sells for N800,000, as against N400,000 in January.

Iyiola attributed the persistent hike in the price of eggs to scarcity.

“The reason for the current hike in the price of eggs is that eggs are very scarce now.

“Most farmers have sold off their old layers, and to get new stock is very expensive as the price of a day-old chick is becoming unbearable.

“Farmers able to buy day-old chicks are considered to be well-to-do. Also, a majority of our local farmers have shut down their farms due to the high cost of feed.

“Presently, a kilogramme of maize costs as much as N850, as opposed to N400 to N500 that was being sold at the beginning of the year.

“The same thing applies to soya and groundnut cake; the prices have increased astronomically,” the PAN chairman said.

He, however, said that the increase in the cost of eggs is not commensurate with the rate at which the cost of feed materials is increasing.

“In fact, most farmers are running at a loss. That is why the only existing farmers are trying to keep the sector running.

“Even if a crate of eggs sells for N5,000, the farmers will only be managing to get by.

“We want to liaise with the food hub at Idi-Oro; our farmers are complaining that they can no longer afford to sell at a loss.

“We supply eggs at the farm gate for N3,800 per crate, and with the same logistics, we still sell them at the hub for N3,800. This means we are running at a loss.

“With all these incurred logistics expenses, a crate of eggs should be sold for N4,500 at the food hub,” he said.

According to him, the way things are going, if things are not controlled, the sector may collapse entirely.

“It seems consuming eggs has become a luxury in our diets.

“We have scheduled a meeting with the government to tackle the situation because there is nothing an individual can do on this issue. We need government intervention,” Iyiola added.

Also speaking, Mr. Godwin Egbebe, the National Publicity Secretary PAN, attributed the hike in the cost of raw materials to the reason for the rise in egg prices.

“Early this month, a tonne of maize sold for N720,000, but as of today, June 12, 2024, it sells for N800,000. During the former President Buhari’s administration, a tonne of maize was sold for N80,000.

“The increment is over 1,000 percent, so you can see the reasons for the hike in poultry producers.

“The way forward is that the government, as a matter of urgency, should bring in grains in the short term.

“And in the long term, they should ensure that farmers go back to their farms secured.

“Farmers are not producing enough grains because of insecurity. Palliatives cannot solve the problem; it is like a drop in an ocean. It makes little or no impact,” Egbebe said.

He said that in some supermarkets, eggs are being sold for N5,000 and above.

“Every day we go to buy feeds, the price changes. As we speak, farmers are actually selling at a loss.

“Most farmers are not breaking even, so they are folding up; it is not funny anymore,” he said.

On her part, Mrs. Theresa Muyi, a poultry farmer in Alimosho, decried the situation and the helplessness of local farmers to the persistent hike in feed prices.

“Poultry feed has gone up, and we now sell a crate of eggs from the farm gate between N3,800 and N4,000. The retailers sell for N4,500 and above.

“The price is still unstable because almost every week there is an increase in feed prices.

“Eggs seem to have become a luxury to the common man, as a piece of egg now sells for N200 and above,” Muyi said.