Plateau State is renowned for its vibrant poultry industry and the eggs produced in the state are known to be among the best in the country.
As a result, the industry became one of the highest employers of labour with over 4,000 farms, with each often having between 10 and 20 staff.
The poultry business was flourishing until a few years back when the sector began undergoing serious challenges; pushing many poultry farmers to quit the business, while those still afloat are operating below their original operational capacity.
Our correspondent who spoke to some of the poultry farmers gathered that the high cost of feed and hike in transportation prices have aggravated their challenges.
Johnson Bagudu, who spoke on the cost of feed and why it has not come down, said although maize is being harvested now, it cannot be used for feed because it is dry corn that is used and that would be from October.
According to him, a bag of maize, which cost between N72,000 and N75,000 before is now N78,000 while a bag of soya beans is N80,000.
Bagudu said the high cost of feed and other raw materials led to an increase in the cost of production, which in turn affects prices. He said a crate of egg which cost between N3,000 and N3,200 some months ago is now N4,500-N4,800.
“Chicken (broiler) is sold depending on the size.” He explained that a-six weeks broiler is sold for N6,000-N7,000 and if it is up to 10 to 12 weeks, it can be up to N10,000 or more. “That is just the minimal gain considering the money spent to nurse/feed the chicken to full maturity.”
He advised farmers to keep persevering in the face of the current hard times with the hope that things will eventually turn out fine, while pleading with the public to keep faith with the industry and keep patronising it.
According to him, the poultry industry remains a prominent industry in terms of providing nutritious foods like egg and meat, and so there is the need to keep supporting it until the economy improves, while reassuring that the government is not resting on its oars in trying to fix things for the betterment of all.
Nanji Gambo-Oke, immediate past Public Relation Officer of the Poultry Farmers Association in Plateau State and a poultry farmer herself, said as a result of the high price of feed, the price of day-old chicks keeps increasing by the day.
She gave Hybrid Feeds price effective from 13th of August 2024 as follows: Finisher N19,350; Growers mash N16,450; Chick mash N17,790; Layer mash N16,950; Super starter crumble N19,380; Base 1 Super starter N22,630 and Hybrid special three-in-one N23,650.
Similarly, she gave Chikun Feeds new price effective from 10th of August 2024 as follows: Starter pellet N21,170; Finisher pellets N21,145; Grower mash N18,210; Grower pellets N19,085; Chick crumble N20,170; Layer mash N18,020 and Layer crumble N18,020.
Others are Super starter pellet N21,315; Ultima Super starter N23,660; Ultima starter N23,310; Ultima plus superN26,110 and Ultima plus starter 25,760.
She also said the prices of day-old chicks as at September 12 is as follows: Valentine N1150, Olam N1100, Noilers N380, while Agrited as at September 13 was N1280.
However, the current Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the poultry association, Solomon John, said everything about poultry business, from the feeds to the drugs, has become expensive apart from the eggs and meat which are actually cheaper.
The PRO, who said they have been pleading with the government to come to the rescue of poultry operators, complained that some of the feeds in the market now are substandard as producers have drastically reduced the quality, while some marketers are hoarding it, which is tremendously affecting them.
Mr John also lamented that due to the economic hardship in the country and the attendant hunger, most farmers and consumers alike often consume the corn as food rather than selling it to millers.
He said as a farmer himself; he spends a lot on feed, and doesn’t really make profit at the end of the day. Sometimes, he has to look for money elsewhere to cover his loss, or sell the chicken waste as manure in order to make up, he added.
According to him, the association has been trying its best to tackle or find lasting solutions to the numerous challenges in the poultry industry, but it has not been easy.
Some of the measures, he pointed out, are that, even though they just assume office, they have reached out to the government for assistance, and have set up a committee to look into the situation. They have also gone to the Plateau State Microfinance Development Agency (PLASMIDA), Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Commerce to seek assistance.
John further said they were currently discussing with the millers to be giving them feed as a major distributorship and they are impressing on them to be producing standard/quality feed that will give them good results at the end of the day.
He called on the farmers not to be discouraged but to keep hope alive because the hard times is a phase that will come and go.
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