Poultry Farmers Lament Poor Demand For Chicken
A week before the celebration of Christmas, the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has lamented poor sales owing to poor demand for chickens caused by the prevailing economic situation in the country.
PAN Lagos State chapter Chairman, Mojeed Iyiola said poultry farmers have prepared for the yuletide sales but the demands for the produce had been low and as such beckons on the government to provide more support to the sector.
“The demand is not even there as such, even though we have a limited number of chicken to be sold for Christmas. However, with the current situation of the economy, the demand for chicken is not as much as it was before.
Presently, the prices have not changed despite the high cost of production; an old layer cost ranges from N4,000 and above depending on its size.
“Last year we still sold old layers from N3,000 to N3,500 depending on the size. The reason why there is not much increase in the price is due to the low demand power of the consumers.
“If we were to sell at the cost of production, an old layer should sell for nothing less than N5,000, the size notwithstanding.
“By now, we are meant to stock new birds that will start laying by March or April next year, but most poultry farmers have not been able to stock up,” he said.
He however sought increased government support to tackle the numerous challenges in the sector ranging from the high cost of feed to the day-to-day running of the farms.
“Poultry farmers are closing shops because of the high cost of maize and other major components of feed milling”.
Iyiola lamented the difficulties for operators and commended the Lagos state government for the provision of palliatives (maize) as he also appealed for more interventions to keep operational costs at bay.
“The area of their response is in the provision of grains; three weeks ago, LASG gave us some grains to cushion the high cost of maize. But the palliative is just like a drop in an ocean; we still need interventions in the sector.
“Maize is one of the major ingredients in formulating feed for the birds. We appreciate the government’s efforts so far but we hope for more support.’’
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