Poultry farmers in Delta State on Friday, January 5, 2018 lamented the increase in price of feeds in 2017, saying it led to high cost of poultry during the Yuletide and New Year festivities.
Some poultry farmers told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews in Asaba that the price of feeds increased by 34 per cent in 2017 compared to the price in 2016.
A poultry farmer in Asaba, the state capital, Mrs Grace Onuemu, said that a bag of starter feeds, which used to be sold for about N2,800 and N2,900 in 2016, was sold for between N3,000 to N3,900 in 2017.
Another poultry farmer, Mr Emmanuel Ogaga, a poultry farmer in Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area of the state, said “a bag of grower feeds went from N3,000 to between N3,800 and N4,000.’’
Ogaga lamented the increase in the price of feeds, saying that it affected the prices of chicken during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
He said that he had to increase the price of his chicken during the Yuletide to enable him recoup his capital and also make a little profit.
“During the Christmas and New Year celebrations, we sold layers between N1,500 and N1,700, while broilers were sold between N3,500 and N4,000.
“The parent cock was sold for N5,000 and N5,500 depending on the sizes,’’ Ogaga said.
Another poultry farmer, Mrs Evelyn Chigozie, blamed the continuous increase in the price of feeds on the high cost of raw materials used for its production.
She appealed to government at all levels to support farmers with soft loans and grants to enable them grow their businesses.
According to Chigozie, patronage of poultry was low and not encouraging during this season.
“As I speak with you, I still have some unsold chickens on my farm, which is unlike what I used to experience during this season,’’ the poultry farmer said.
By Mercy Obojeghren
