The Poultry Association of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter has predicted an increase in the prices of poultry produce during the Christmas celebrations.
Its Chairman, Godwin Egbebe, made the assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Lagos.
Egbebe said the cost of the produce might go up due to the barrage of problems facing the poultry sector since 2019.
He said: “Poultry farmers are preparing in earnest for the yuletide season sales although we are faced with a lot of challenges.
“Security challenges have made it more difficult for a lot of our members to access their farms, a situation we believe will in turn impact on the price of poultry at the Christmas celebrations.
“Most poultry farmers are not making much profit presently due to their poor production output in recent times.
“When they leave their farms in the hands of not-so-competent staff, a lot happens and the farmers begin to run at a loss.
“These losses may also affect yuletide poultry sales and supply.
“With these barrages of problems, we predict an increase in the prices of poultry produce this Christmas in comparison to other years.
“Aside that the cost of grains this year has been at an all high, the prices keep soaring daily.
“Even with the availability of new maize, the price is still going up.”
According to Egbebe, the farmers hope for a better 2022 in terms of increased operations and production output.
He added: “Also many poultry farmers have begun downsizing their farms owing to the high cost of production, some have closed shop until this impasse goes away.
“Currently, depending on the size, an old layer bird sells between N2,800 and N3,500 in local markets, while the cockerel sells from N3,000 to N4,000, depending on the size.
“Whole turkey on the other hand sells between N30,000 and N35,000, depending on its size.
“These prices are likely to go higher during the Christmas celebrations because it depends on the availability of the produce.
“Since most poultry farmers are not supplying the markets with produce, the few available suppliers may monopolise the prices at Christmas.
“They do this not in a bid to make excess profit, but to recover what they lost in the course of the year.”