Inflation in poultry farm input costs has led to the prices of eggs and poultry meat to rise and affect the profits of producers, Ekong, the Chairman, Akwa Ibom State chapter of Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Solomon Ekong, has said.
The prices of the products are at their highest with a crate of egg that sold for N700 last year selling for N2,400.
Nigerians are also groaning over the prices of poultry products, especially fresh chickens that sell for N5,500.
Ekong blamed the hike in on high cost of import. He explained that Nigerians could not keep paying the same price for chicken and eggs with the war in Ukraine affecting the country’s production.
He said producers import grains from Ukraine; as a result, soaring costs of imports is putting the cost of feed production through the roof.
He warned that the war would continue to cause feed prices to surge for chicken farmers.
Retail egg price rises must reach producers, sector warns despite the recent price increases in the money paid to farmers, he noted that farmers were only receiving a fraction of it as there has been no let-up in the pressure being put on producers as the cost of feed, fuel, and other essential inputs shows no sign of reducing.
With the war in Ukraine, he noted that no huge amount of grain could come out of Ukraine. According to him, the cost of feed is rising.
Maize and soya constitute 75 per cent of the raw materials for feeds. Once the prices are high, they affect that of feed and subsequently poultry produce.
A farmer in Ogun State, Stephen Oladipupo said chicken feed prices have continued to rise higher.
According to him, the total cost jump is huge making returns unremunerative for farmers.
He said there had been a sharp elevation in feed price due to an unprecedented jump in feed-making inputs,adding that the high feed cost is playing a key role in soaring prices of poultry products.
So far, the rise in egg prices appears to be a global phenomenon .
In Turkey, egg producers have reportedly rejected allegations of price fixing and profiteering and say they have no choice but to raise prices as imports grow more expensive.The country’s egg producers said they have no choice but to raise prices because imports have become more expensive as a result of soaring global inflation and the declining value of the lira.
While egg prices have risen dramatically in the past year, they fell by more than 4 percent in June, compared with the previous month, as pressure mounted on the producers.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, Turkey produced approximately 20 billion eggs in 2019 but increases in feed costs meant output was already stagnant even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine upended global grain markets. Farmers who import hatching eggs and day-old chicks have seen their costs rise as well. In Uganda, a report said the price of eggs has jumped 25 percent within a month, piling pressure on household budgets. A crate of eggs is currently retailing at Sh450 from Sh360 in early February while one egg now sells at Sh15 from Sh12 previously. Also in Kenya, consumers are paying more for eggs. The government imposed a 25 percent excise duty on the commodity, cutting the supply amid rising demand. Kenya normally relies on cheap eggs from Uganda to check against high prices locally. However, the recent move by Nairobi to impose duty has seen most traders shy from importing the product.A tray of eggs has jumped from Sh360 two weeks ago to now retail at between Sh420 and Sh450 in what traders have attributed to shortages.
In Morocco,farmers are calling for government support as profitability is squeezed by rising feed costs and low chicken prices.Although the issues of high production costs and falling profitability are facing poultry producers across the world, the situation has become particularly acute in Morocco.,a report said.