The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has raised alarms about a potential surge in the price of eggs, warning that the cost of a crate could soon jump from N5,500 to N10,000 if immediate steps aren’t taken to support the sector.
This concern was expressed by Musa Hakeem, Secretary of the PAN FCT Chapter, during a press briefing held in Abuja on Saturday, October 12, 2024, to commemorate World Egg Day.
Hakeem attributed the rising prices to the high cost of transportation following the removal of fuel subsidies, along with the arbitrary increase in feed prices by millers.
He noted that despite these challenges, poultry farmers have refrained from passing the full cost on to consumers out of compassion and concern for public health.
“If we should go by the proportional increase in the prices of these factors mentioned earlier, we will be buying eggs at N10,000 per crate, but because we wanted to be compassionate, coupled with the importance of eggs for health, we left the price at the current price of N5,500,” Hakeem said.
The PAN official called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on egg production in Nigeria, citing a worrying decline in protein intake.
He also urged the government to ensure that poultry farmers are included in future interventions, as the last major support for the sector occurred three years ago.
Meanwhile, agro-dealer Jude Arikogu expressed frustration over the continuous increase in feed prices and the alleged shortchanging of farmers with underweight feed bags, further compounding the industry’s struggles.
Both Hakeem and Arikogu warned that without urgent government intervention, the future of the poultry sector could be in jeopardy, potentially leading to a collapse of the egg supply chain in Nigeria.