The recent increase in the price of eggs and other poultry items in Kano State has sparked widespread public anxiety, particularly as the Muslim fasting month approaches.
Eggs are typically in high demand during the fasting period.
According to reports, a new egg costs N130, while a crate costs N3,100. It was also disclosed that, despite the growth, eggs are gradually becoming scarce in the state capital, which has caused major anxiety among the people, as other poultry items are becoming out of reach for the average citizen.
According to a neighbor, Abubakar Abdulsamad, egg scarcity is a recurring problem that comes around the time Ramadan fasting begins. He added that the price increase and scarcity of poultry items are caused by merchants stockpiling excessive quantities. He went on to say that some merchants are hoarding the few eggs produced by the state’s chicken producers in order to make enormous profits during Ramadan.
“That has been the norm in periods like this, but what made this one different is that there are few poultry farms operating now due to the current economic situation across the globe, and Ramadan fasting is fast approaching. My fears are that poultry products would soon be out of circulation or too expensive to be afforded,” he said.
A poultry farmer in the state, Alhaji Isa Abba, said he could no longer afford to continue with the poultry business because the cost of production had gradually become unbearable. According to him many farmers have abandoned their farms due to several factors that have made the business very difficult.
However, the Kano State chairman of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Dr Usman Gwarzo, attributed the scarcity and hike to several factors that range from poultry feeds raw materials, chicks, vaccines, transportation, among others.
He explained that a tonne of maize, which serves as the major raw material for poultry feed making, which was sold at N320,000 in November last year, is now N550,000. He added that soya mill, which constitutes 25 per cent of raw materials needed to produce feed, had also gone up drastically.
“Ironically, these two raw materials are usually sourced within the country, not imported. What we only bring outside the country is amino-acid. However, transportation increased due to subsidy removal and insecurity that prevented many farmers from going to farms, among other factors, which cumulatively added to bring the rise in the cost of poultry farming in not only Kano State but the country in general,” he said.
He added that the state lacked capable hatchers that could meet the demand of chicks by farmers, a situation that is causing a day-old chick to be sold at N800, which has forced over 85 per cent of poultry farmers out of business.
“I bet you, if you add up all these factors I mentioned you would find out that the price of eggs is cheap. But as it is with poultry production, the more expensive poultry products are, the less profit poultry farmers get. That is why most of our members have closed down their farms. About 85 per cent left the business in the last six months, which is a bad omen,” he said.
Gwarzo said the association had been advocating improved security, increase in production through effective engagement of real farmers, as well as introduction of credible loans to farmers that are realistic, not formulary.