The Poultry Association of Nigeria has lamented that in the last six months; more than 30 percent of poultry farms across the country have been shut down due to the challenges in the sector.
Godwin Egbebe, National Publicity Secretary, PAN, reportedly told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos the development was due to the high cost of operation. He also said that this development contributed to the high cost of eggs in the country.
“About 30 percent of local poultry farmers nationwide have shut down their farms due to the hardship faced in the sector in the first half of the year.
Mr. Egbede wants the government to consider the harsh operational climate and give support directly to the affected farmers. He said, “The palliatives are not alleviating the ills in the sector, we seek sustainable solutions to the problems on the ground.
“The palliatives most times even end in wrong places rather than with legitimate farmers. Most farmers are leaving the sector because they cannot sustain the cost of operating their farms. Some have sold their cages and some have sold their farms.”
He, however, urged local poultry farmers to exercise patience and not to impulsively close their farms. “We are appealing to our members that the current challenges in the sector are just a phase and they should not give up on the sector. There is actually no sector of the country that is not going through challenges currently, but we cannot allow the sector to collapse. If the farmers sell off all their cages and equipment, they may not be able to come back to the sector when things get better,” he said.
The PAN spokesperson blamed the increasing cost of feed on the major challenges faced by farmers.
He lamented, “The price of poultry produce keeps increasing because the price of feed increases every other week.
“As of two weeks ago, we bought 25kg of feed at N14,300, just this past weekend, it is now N14,800.
“Early this year, we bought a bag for N12,000 and it sold for N9,000 last year. The increment is affecting the sector.
“Transportation cost is also another major bane of the sector, transportation of poultry produce increases the cost.”
