Chicken Prices Are Expected To Skyrocket In December – Poultry Association Of Nigerian
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Chicken Prices Are Expected To Skyrocket In December

Rise In Chicken Prices…

To stimulate local production, President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) imposed a ban on food importation and authorized the Central Bank of Nigeria to withhold FX from food importers in December 2020. For the months of August, September, and October 2020, the CBN approved the importation of maize to four grain processing enterprises.

Corn, often known as maize, is the most common grain used in chicken feed, according to Poultry Hub Australia. Although many countries and regions use different grains, the United States and most Asian countries utilize the same ones. “For all poultry feed, maize is by far the most essential energy source.” Maize has a caloric content of 3300kcal.

 

Soybean meal is also a significant source of vegetable protein in chicken meals. It has a protein content of 48.0%. However, in the last five months, the price of these grains has risen, causing an increase in the price of feed and poultry products.

The price of soybeans jumped by roughly 300 percent, while the price of maize increased by 170 percent, according to a study from the Poultry Farmers Association. Many poultry farmers have left the sector due to a lack of feed and a rise in feed prices, as well as a steep drop in sales.

 

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Apart from diseases such as avian flu, which may wreak havoc on the poultry farming industry, increased feed costs due to insecurity, inflation, and a lack of a pricing control system are now plaguing the industry. As a result, some farmers of various ages and levels of expertise in the industry have sold their birds and switched to piggery or other farming systems.

To stay afloat, some chicken producers said they took out loans to keep their businesses viable while distributing eggs for free.

In October of 2021, a 25kg of layers’ feed that cost N2,600 the previous year cost N5,595. The price of eggs has risen as a result of this. In September, a bag of starter feed for broilers cost less than N7,000, but by October, it had risen to N8,000. A crate of egg cost N700 at farm price in 2019, but now costs around N1,500.

 

The country’s insecurity, particularly in the north, is a major concern influencing the poultry industry. The majority of the feed is made up of maize and soybeans, both of which are cultivated mostly in the north. Unless the CBN intervened earlier this year and allowed certain major millers to bring grains into the country, most enterprises that produce and sell feed acquire their raw materials from the north.

Because what we produce in the country is insufficient to meet the millers’ demands, they must import crops. Because the poultry industry lacks a pricing control system, middlemen and retailers profit more than producers. Price differences between farms and retailers should be modest.

 

Birds were sold for N850 per kilogram in December, while a bag of feed cost between N4,500 and N5,000. Currently, the same amount of feed costs N8,000, and birds cost N870 per kilogram, a difference of N20 in the selling price. Meanwhile, every bag of feed used by the birds increases by between N2000 and N2,500. Many farmers have gone out of business as a result of this, and others have reduced the size of their farms. Some people have discovered strategies to deal with stress by cutting costs. However, this has not been as effective as stabilizing prices, which would be the proper course of action.

Nigerians may be surprised to learn that eggs and poultry (chicken) will be scarce throughout the festival season. This year, there will be a price hike and scarcity, so even if you have the money to buy, you may not be able to do so.

 

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Because of the industry’s current issues, several poultry farmers have switched to raising layers rather than broilers. They indicated that broiler feed prices were rising on a weekly basis, and that converting to layer rearing would let them to buy feeds with the proceeds from egg production, further reducing the impact of the high prices.

Onallo Akpa, the Director-General of the Poultry Association Nigeria, also stated that due to the current state of the country’s chicken meat business, birds will be accessible in December but would be pricey.

 

In terms of availability, quantity, and quality, eggs are one of the cheapest sources of protein. However, due to the recent price hike, a family that consumes one egg per day will see a decrease in the amount of eggs consumed or would have to skip an egg on a specific day. This resulted in a decrease in protein intake, and the meal would no longer be balanced, resulting in malnutrition. It could start with hidden hunger, or a lack of micronutrients in youngsters.

The COVID-19 lockdown, drought, flooding, and insecurity, according to the Maize Growers Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria(MAGPAMAN), resulted in maize scarcity and price increases.

Mr Peter Onah, the association’s Head of Operations and Distributions, revealed that some members of the Boko Haram rebels raided one of their farms in Borno State, which had around 1,702 hectares of ready-to-harvest corn.

 

“We couldn’t pick the grains on that field,” he explained, “and we lost two farmers in the process.” That had a significant impact on us. We lost around 23,826 members of the 62,312 farmers we deal with due to insecurity, including natural disasters. This, along with the other factors I outlined, has had an impact on our organization.”

He also added that they had informed the poultry farmers’ organization of the situation and guaranteed them of a direct supply of maize to feed producers. Onah also begged with the government to “provide approvals on time to cover up for the year’s losses” and assure a jump in production for the following year.

 

“The majority of poultry farms are closing down.” Many folks are unable to provide food for their pets. We’re reaching the end of the year, and farms are still closing and prices are still rising, which means we won’t know where we’ll be in the first quarter of next year.”

One option is for PAN to work with the Maize Association Nigerian to develop an Out growers scheme to suit their requests.

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