In Niger State, a large number of poultry breeders are closing their doors due to insufficient customer support and growing feed costs.
An investigation by the local news brand reveals that feed retailers have also been impacted by farm closures, with several expressing concern about their companies being threatened by low patronage.
Further conversations with families showed that a decrease in the amount of eggs consumed in many households has been brought on by the increase in commodity prices, particularly those of eggs produced by the few remaining farmers. To ensure that their children get enough protein, many families are looking for other foods.
BrandSpur’s national news desk also learned that many farmers are being forced out of business due to the skyrocketing pricing of layers.
According to Mohammed Audi Adamu, a former secretary of the Poultry Farmers Association in Niger State, the high cost of inputs and a sharp decline in customer demand for poultry products have forced roughly 65% of the state’s poultry farmers to close their doors.
According to Adamu: “The poultry industry in Nigeria is generally facing a crisis, with many farmers forced out of business due to escalating input costs and a significant reduction in consumer demand amidst economic hardship.
“This trend poses a serious threat to public health, as poultry products are a primary source of protein for Nigerians. A recent assessment in Niger State revealed an alarming statistic: over 65 percent of poultry farms have ceased operations, with some farmers opting to abandon the industry altogether in favor of alternative ventures. This development is particularly concerning, as it may have far-reaching consequences for the nation’s food security and nutritional well-being,” he added.
Female poultry farmer Khadijah Ndanusa of Minna revealed that her in-law, who formerly had over 100 birds on her farm, now had none since it was impossible to purchase feed due to rising costs and low patronage.
Ndanusa added: “It is true; the cost of feeds and layers is affecting poultry farmers. There is no competition now in poultry farming in Niger State due to the high cost of birds and feeds.
“But as for me, I still rear because my customers support me a lot. No matter the rate at which I sell, they still want my products, which encourages me even with the high prices. I also plant maize which makes me spend less to produce feeds. Because I have customers who still pay ahead, I sell a crate of eggs at N4,700. We used to buy a bag of layers feed at N2,800, but now it is N21,000. Layers feed is the cheapest of the feeds,” she added.
Suleiman Isah Ubandoma, a farmer and manager of Sikat Farms Minna who also deals in feeds, informed our correspondent that he had to close his farm on Saturday after selling all of his broilers because of the rising cost of feeds and a drop in customers.
Also read: https://brandspurng.com/2024/09/02/kevin-massie-resigns-as-pz-cussons-director/
“I couldn’t continue with the business because even the patronage has dropped. We sell eggs and chickens at a marginal cost just to get back our investment but the demand has been affected. People no longer place orders for eggs as they used to when a crate was N2,200 or N3,000. A crate of eggs is now more than N4,000. Consumption has also dropped because consumers have turned to other proteinous foods,” stated Ubandoma.
Continuing, he added that he seldom ever opens his store these days because the feed market has significantly decreased as a result of growing feed prices, which have forced many chicken producers to close their operations.
Ubandoma went on to say: “I hardly sell one bag of feeds a day now, but before I used to sell feeds worth about N400,000 a day. The market has gone down seriously because poultry farmers are closing their farms.
“Ultima finisher is now N23,600, Ultima starter is N23,600, Ultima super starter now costs N23,800, Ultima Plus is N26,000, Chikun stater, N21,300, Chikun finisher cost N21,300 while Chikun super starter costs N21,800.
“As of March this year, the price of the Ultima Super starter was N16,725; the Ultima starter was N16,525 while the Ultima Finisher was sold at the cost of N16,225, but look at the prices today. Many livestock businesses are dying due to the cost of feeds,” he added.
BrandSpur’s news desk learned that the high cost of the main ingredients—corn, soybeans, concentrates, and wheat—has made it extremely difficult for poultry producers in the area to produce feed.
Even though some poultry farmers, like Khadijah Ndanusa, are using the rainy season to grow their own maize and soybeans, from which they produce feeds locally to reduce costs, other farmers claimed the approach was unsustainable, particularly once the rainy season ended, and they urged government intervention to save the nation’s livestock industry.
Checks conducted in the state’s markets revealed that the price of a 100 kg bag of fresh corn was N70,000 and that of aged maize was N90,000.
Furthermore, the price of a 100 kg bag of soybeans is currently N100,000, while concentrates are now N20,000 instead of N20,000, and Wheat-Offer, which was previously offered for N19,000, is now N26,000. Household checks also revealed a decrease in egg consumption as a result of price increases.
Residents of Minna’s Barikin-Sale neighbourhood, Mallama Aisha Mohammed, told the local news brand that they no longer eat eggs as frequently as they formerly did when the cost was low.
Mohammed stated: “Before now, I used to buy at least a crate in a month. But since the price increased, I buy only when I need it. An egg is now N180 in my area.
“When it was cheap, we used to eat eggs three or four times weekly, but now, I don’t buy in crates anymore. In fact, I hardly eat eggs now. Sometimes, we eat an egg once a week, and sometimes, we don’t even eat it for a whole week,” she added.
A breastfeeding mother named Mallama Fatima also informed our correspondent that they had reduced their egg consumption because of the high cost.
According to her: “Seriously, the rising cost of eggs has affected me, and even my toddler,, who’s supposed to eat at least an egg daily as advised by medical expert,s, cannot get that. Before now, we consumed at least one and a half crates of egg in a month, but now we buy in pieces, and that’s once in a while.”
