FG says market manipulation keeps poultry prices out of reach

An agency of the Federal Government, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has decried alleged manipulation of the market by a ‘cartel in the poultry industry to keep the prices high and out of reach of common men in the Country.

FCCPC also says packaging industries are not also left out of the cartel in engaging in actions that keep the prices high, adding that such actions are being carried out despite Government’s sundry interventions to maintaining the price stability.

Tunji Bello, Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, who made this known at a Stakeholders meeting in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State Capital, in continuation of FCCPC’ nationwide advocacy against exploitative pricing in the market, noted the Commission had already hosted similar engagements in several States across the Federation.

He noted that his pronouncement was based on an investigation the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) had carried out nationwide, saying the poultry cartel consisting of influential people that dictate price for smallholder farmers and marketers to sell their products.

Revealing the Commission’s findings in one of the major cities, the FCCPC boss said: “The small poultry owners used to sell a day-old chick for between N480 and N590 and they still made a profit.

“But not after the arrival of two big players in the market. I choose to withhold their names at this point. They (big players) brought in big money and expanded the market and expectedly they were soon in a position to control 80 to 90 percent of the poultry market in the city.”

Addressing the participants consisting of industry captains, MSMEs, market leaders, farmers, transporters, service providers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), he said two big poultry players, “used their clout and financial muscle to hijack the local poultry farmers association and now dictated that a day-old chick be sold at N1,350 in a curious reversal of the law of the economy of scale which otherwise stipulates that the more you produce, the less the unit price.”

This, he said, explained why prices of products remained high despite government’s sundry supports to the poultry industry, adding that in the last one year, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, had supported poultry farmers with broilers, vitamins, feeds and cash through various interventions across the nation’s six geopolitical zones.

“For instance, starter mash which sold for N11,000 in October 2023 rose to N14,000 in January this year, N16,500 in March, N21,500 in July and N23,500 in October.

“Also, the FCCPC boss stated that the high prices of drinks in recyclable packs was substantially caused by “unfair pricing. The cartel in the packaging sector consists of five big players who are in the business of importing and providing local manufacturers with packaging materials.

“They operate in a mafia-like fashion such that if you choose to leave one of them to check the price of the other, before you would reach the next factory, the first seller would have tipped off the second seller to quote the same price,” Bello lamented.

On why those engaged in such sharp practices have not been sanctioned, Bello stated that FCCPC chose dialogue as the first option “in the spirit of democracy” instead of enforcing the FCCP act which prescribes stiff penalties ranging from heavy fine to jail terms.

He called on the business community in Akwa Ibom to collaborate with FCCPC to curb exploitative pricing as well as sanitise the markets.

To cushion the harsh effects of ongoing economic reforms, Bello said President Bola Tinubu had introduced a number relief measures like the removal of tariff on food imports, VAT on pharmaceuticals and medical devices, tax waivers for businesses and public transportation as well as providing easy credit for the conversion of vehicles from petrol to CNG.