Poultry farmers in the South-West states of Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti have lamented severe financial strain due to soaring production costs, appealing to the government for a subsidy to prevent widespread farm closures.
The farmers called on government at all levels to establish cooperative feed milling outlets to provide farmers with subsidised poultry feed, noting that skyrocketing production cost was threatening the survival of the industry.
The poultry farmers, on Sunday, said the initiative would significantly reduce production costs and ease the financial burden on farmers.
The Chairman of Poultry Farmers Association of Nigeria (PAN), Osun State chapter, Dr Alaba Towoju, said the soaring prices of poultry feed, day-old chicks, and pullets made it difficult for farmers to cope.
Towoju said day-old chicks and pullets now sell for N2,000 each, which is excessive and detrimental to the growth of the poultry industry.
Towoju said: “Poultry farmers buy feed at high prices from feed millers and are later forced to sell their products below profitable levels, leaving them in perpetual losses.
“Maize supplied by the government to support poultry farmers often ends up with feed millers, who increased prices, making it difficult for farmers to afford feed.
“Government should closely monitor the distribution of subsidised maize to feed millers to ensure that the benefits are passed on to farmers through affordable feed prices.”
Towoju, however, said proactive measures were necessary to boost poultry production, protect farmers’ livelihoods and ensure food security in Nigeria.
Also speaking, the Chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Osun State, Wahaab Bello, noted that the federal and state governments had periodically supported farmers, including those in the livestock sector.
Bello noted that farmers had benefited from agricultural support programmes, including the FADAMA III programme, where farming implements were provided.
He said: “The Federal Ministry of Agriculture, through its Department of Livestock, provided farmers with 50 chicks and feed to support poultry production.
“High cost of feed is the major challenge facing poultry farmers while the prices of ingredients used in its production are also high.
“Feed sellers cannot be entirely blamed for the high prices because the raw materials required for production are equally expensive.
“The government should intervene by reducing the cost of agricultural inputs and providing grants to ease farmers’ operational challenges.”
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A poultry farmer in Ekiti State, Daniel Ajayi said the rising cost of poultry feed and unfavourable market conditions were threatening the survival of the business in the state.
The farmer said a bag of feed that was sold for N9,000 last year now sells between N20,000 and N23,000, while the price of maize and soya – the major components – had tripled.
Ajayi stated that the development had forced many smallholder farmers to reduce flock size, switch to alternative local feed, or shut down entirely.
The Chairman of PAN in South-West, Oluleye Olugbeja, appealed to the government to address the feed cost, noting that “feed is 75 per cent of our cost.
Olugbeja said: “If government can release grains from the national reserve at subsidised price, give single-digit loans from Bank of Agriculture, and support insurance against disease, farmers can survive.
“Otherwise, this N4.2 trillion industry that gives 25 million jobs will collapse.”
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