The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has expressed distress over the closure of more than 50% of its farms in 2023, attributing the shutdowns to sectoral challenges.
Mr. Mojeed Iyiola, Chairman of the PAN Lagos State chapter, revealed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Thursday.
Iyiola highlighted that poultry farmers faced difficulties in meeting the increasing demand for poultry products due to the closure of a significant portion of their farms.
He stated, “Most poultry farms in the country closed down last year due to difficulties faced in the sector. We are currently unable to meet the demands of eggs due to the shortage of poultry farms. Presently, we have a very low supply of eggs with growing demands. This is because nothing less than 50% 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,”
According to Iyiola, sustained government interventions at all levels, particularly in subsidizing feed inputs, are essential for the prosperity of the sector.
The poultry industry has been battered by increased production costs occasioned by the rise in maize prices- a major ingredient in poultry feed production. The price of maize for example has increased by 79.23% year-on-year from N329.05 for 1kg in December 2022 to N589.75 by December 2023. The monthly increase was 5.47% from N559.18 recorded in November 2023.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) food price index for December 2023, the cost of chicken feet rose by 81.71% year-on-year basis from December 2022 to December 2023. Also, the price of medium Agric eggs has increased year-on-year from December 2022 to December 2023 by 52.09%. For month-on-month inflation in eggs 4.39%.
