Over 50 per cent of poultry farms operating in Nigeria shut down their operations in 2023 due to the challenges in the sector.
The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has lamented the closure of the farms.
The PAN Chairman, Lagos State chapter, Mr. Mojeed Iyiola, said poultry farmers were unable to meet the growing demand for poultry produce due to the closure of most its farms.
“Most poultry farms in the country closed down last year due to difficulties faced in the sector.
“We are currently unable to meet up the demands of eggs due to the shortage of poultry farms. Presently, we have very low supply of eggs with growing demands.
“This is because nothing less than 50 per cent of poultry farms around the country have shut down.
“In fact, due to the shortage of supply, a crate of egg sells for as high as N3,000 and above even from the farm gate.
“We do not pray that the price keeps increasing because it is detrimental to the average consumer,” Iyiola told NAN on Thursday in Lagos.
Iyiola said the sector would only prosper with continuous interventions of the government at all levels, especially in subsidising feed inputs.
“We hope to step up supply of eggs if the cost of raw materials for bird feed is subsidised and available at the most affordable rate. This is the best solution for the sector at the moment.
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“The Lagos State Government to be candid is trying on their own part; they have been of great assistance to the sector in all our trials.
“They have provided feed inputs to poultry farmers which have to a minimal extent cushioned the effect of production costs.
“Though poultry produce prices are still on the high side. We hope to start raising layers soon and we believe in no distant time government will respond to us positively,” he said.
The PAN had earlier called for urgent intervention of President Bola Tinubu on the hike in the cost of poultry feeds in the country.
The poultry farmers said the failure of the government to take urgent action to mitigate this challenge would lead to a total collapse of the poultry sub-sector of the economy.
The Secretary of PAN, FCT chapter, Hakeem Musa, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Mushak Agro Consult, frowned at the perpetual hike in price of poultry feeds, adding that the government could intervene by giving grants to farmers in order to remain in business.
Citing example with layers mash, Musa said a 25kg bag of feed as of November 2023 was N8,000 plus; first week of December rose to N9,100; second week N9,350; and third week N9,550.
He, however, said at the moment the same bag of feeds has risen to N12,000.
Musa said: “Nobody knows whether this increment is going to stop anytime soon because November, December is supposed to be time for surplus of maize and if it is this expensive, what are we expecting from February and March?
“We are praying that President Tinubu’s administration will focus attention on the industry and also confident and hopeful that intervention will be given to poultry sub-sector of the country.
“The basic intervention we need is grant not loans to sustain the industry because over time farmers have lost a lot of money, so if they are taking loan now they will not be able to pay back.”
The PAN Secretary attributed the high cost of feeds to inadequate maize and soybeans being major ingredients for feed production as well as ban on maize importation.
He stated that the hike in feeds has negatively impacted on the poultry farmers, saying a lot of farms have been shut down while some other farmers have also reduced the capacity of their birds drastically.
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