Poultry Farmers Urge Government to Push Feed Cost Reduction

The Poultry Association of Nigeria has called on feed millers to reduce the price of finished poultry feed following a sharp drop in the cost of maize and soya beans.

The association said maize prices have fallen from about 800 naira to 300 naira per kilogramme, while soya bean prices dropped from 1,200 naira to 500 naira. Despite this, the price of finished feed has remained unchanged.

Speaking on Channels Television, Vice Chairman of PAN in Ogun State, Ahmed Alli, said feed for layer birds still sells for between 15,000 and 17,000 naira per 25-kilogramme bag, while broiler feed costs up to 22,000 naira. He said feed accounts for up to 70 percent of poultry production costs.

Alli said the high cost of feed continues to keep egg and chicken prices high, despite government efforts to import grains to ease production costs.

He also raised concerns over the rising cost of day-old chicks, noting that broiler chicks now sell for about 1,700 naira, while pullet chicks cost over 2,000 naira.

The association called on the Ministry of Livestock to engage feed millers to bring down costs, saying lower feed prices would lead to cheaper eggs and chicken.

PAN said it has submitted recommendations from its Poultry Nexus Summit to the ministry and plans further engagement with industry stakeholders.