Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) on Friday warned that the price of eggs will continue to rise if the challenges bedevilling the industry are not addressed by the government.
Pius Aminu, chairman, FCT Chapter of PAN, said this at a news conference in Abuja in commemoration of the 2022 World Egg Day with the theme “Egg for better Life’’.
Aminu listed the contributing factors to include the closure of farms, lack of access to credit by the farmers, high cost of maize, soybeans and other micro ingredients for poultry feed production.
According to him, hike in cost of feed production has resulted in high cost of feed, thereby making it unaffordable to farmers. He mentioned insecurity and lack of access roads to poultry farms, among others.
A crate of eggs (containing 30) is sold for between N1800 and N2,000 while one egg goes for N50 or N80 depending on who is selling and where.
Aminu lamented that at the moment, demand for the product was higher than production.
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“At the moment, it’s difficult for the price of eggs to fall. Rather, it will continue to rise because the demand is higher than supply due to the closure of some poultry farms.
“We are not sure how much we are going to buy eggs in the next one month; it may go as high as N2,500 per crate or even more.
“Exchange rate is really affecting micro ingredients used to formulate feeds. For now, we do not know but I can’t guarantee that the price will remain as it is now,’’ he said.
Aminu appealed to the Federal Government and the FCT minister to assist farmers through the provision of grants, making loans flexible and easily accessible to farmers as well as guaranteeing their security.
He said the “World Egg Day was about recognising eggs as an incredibly unique source of protein and essential nutrients within an accessible and affordable package.”
Also, Musa Akeem, secretary of the association, speaking on the nutritional value of eggs, described it as the richest and cheapest source of protein and vitamins required by every individual, irrespective of age.
According to him, eggs contain a lot of healthy cholesterol, protein and amino acid, vitamin A among others.
Edith Onyeji, the financial secretary of PAN, urged the government to aid farmers in the area of marketing and value through the provision of technology to convert eggs to powder form, among others.
The World Egg Day is marked annually to highlight the benefits eggs bring to human health and livelihoods.
