In an interview with NAN on Tuesday in Lagos, the National Secretary of PAN, Mr Godwin Egbegbe, attributed the increase in the price of poultry products to the continuous increase in the price of raw materials. He said, “From the farm gate, we sell a crate of eggs to the wholesalers at N2100 as against N1800 to N1900 we used to sell in December 2022. Even at the price of N2100, we are barely breaking even. The price will keep increasing because of the cost of feed and other raw materials, coupled with the scarcity of the Naira.”
Egbegbe further revealed that the cash scarcity in the country has affected not only the poultry sector but also the entire agro space. He noted that the continuous increase in price rarely comes down. "Most of the people that buy from us do mobile transfers, and the cash crunch has led to the continuous hike of poultry products," he said. "We hope that when the Naira is in full circulation, the prices will go back to normal, but as of now, we cannot say."
Mrs Chinenye Nwachukwu, a businesswoman and mother, expressed her concern about the hike in the price of eggs but noted that customers have no choice but to buy at the current price. “We buy eggs between N2200 and N2500, depending on the size. They have given us several reasons for the hike in egg prices. From the cost of feed, the economic crisis and now the Naira crunch. All these have contributed to this rise in price," she said.
Nwachukwu added that there was a time when a crate of eggs was sold for N850 and N900 at the farm price, but consumers have no choice but to buy at the current cost. She hoped that things would get better soon. Another consumer, Mrs Grace Adesina, expressed surprise over the hike but noted that consumers must meet the dietary needs of their children, hence the continuous patronage.
According to Adesina, "We are buying eggs now from N2300 to N2600 for a crate of eggs as against N1800 or N2000 we used to buy. The farmers have complained about the cost of feed and production as the reason for the hike. The price keeps rising every day, but there is nothing we can do about it than to buy as they sell. We just have to buy because of the dietary needs of our children despite the rising costs.”
Meanwhile, a poultry farmer, Mrs Stella Iwuagwu, lamented that the cost of poultry feed has increased significantly, affecting the cost of production. "The cost of poultry feed, which is one of the most important components of poultry production, has increased drastically. A bag of poultry feed that was sold for N3,500 now goes for N5,500. The cost of other inputs like drugs, vaccines and other materials has also gone up," she said.
Iwuagwu also stated that the recent ban on the importation of maize, which is a major raw material for poultry feed, has contributed to the high cost of feed. "The ban on the importation of maize has made it difficult for farmers to get maize, and when they do, it is at a high cost," she said.