‘Hike in egg price may linger’
By Kehinde Oluwatayo.
The current hike in the price of egg in the country may linger if it not addressed.
It was gathered that most producers have diversified to other businesses because of high cost of point-of-lay birds and the volatility of the market.
Speaking with The Hope in an interview, the National General Secretary of Poultry Association of Nigeria PAN, Prince Kayode Aladesuyi said majority of farmers sold their birds last December and could not afford to buy replacement for their stock.
He stressed that farmers do not have guarantee for the market as there would be glut and they may run at a loss .
According to him, the school feeding programme which was supposed to be absorbing the eggs is no longer reliable as it is off and on.
Aladesuyi who agreed that increase in the price of egg in the new year is a natural phenomenon noted that the price should have dropped by the end of February.
He averred that the increase in price would linger if nothing is done to address the issue.
While calling on government to encourage the farmers by ensuring that there is market for their products, Aladesuyi said that an egg processing plant like the egg powder factory proposed by the Ondo state government will absorb excess eggs during glut.
“Such processing plant is not in Nigeria that can absorb excess egg during glut. When farmers heard that the state government proposed one in Emure Ile, I was receiving calls from farmers all over the country, believing it would be a solution to our problem.
“But up till now nothing has been done. If government can do it, farmers will be encourage to remain in business. But as it is, farmers are not returning since they sold their laying birds in December”, he stressed.
“I was told personally that the investor wanted to defraud the state government of several millions of naira. There are people who can do this thing here with lesser budget, it is just that we believe in foreign investors.
Apart from high cost of the price of egg in the state, our findings showed that the product is not available and buyers struggle for the few available ones.