Poultry farmers have lamented the high cost of production and called for government intervention to address the sector’s challenges.

The farmers made the call in separate interviews on Monday in Lagos.

Iyiola Mojeed, treasurer, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Lagos state chapter, said the cost of poultry feeds had crippled the sector.

Mr Mojeed called for the government’s intervention in permitting poultry associations to import the necessary components needed for the production of poultry feeds.

“The major issue we have in raising poultry and egg production is the cost of inputs for bird feed. The inputs we need to produce animal feeds are too expensive.”

He lamented that some products were also not available despite the high costs.

“We have been negotiating with the government at both state and federal levels. They are trying their best to help the situation, but their best is not enough,” Mr Mojeed said.

He also called for friendly policies that would cushion the effects of the high cost of production in the sector.

On his part, Stephen Olufemi, the former secretary-general of PAN in Lagos, said many farmers had left the trade because of their inability to break even.

“Poultry production has dropped drastically in recent times due to a barrage of reasons, ranging from insecurity and high cost of production inputs.

“The cost of feed has skyrocketed farmers’ cost of production. When we used to sell eggs at N400 per crate, we used to make as much as N200 profit per crate.

“However, now crates of eggs are sold from the farm gate for as high as N1,700 to N2,000, yet we do not make up to N100 profit per crate due to high cost of feeds,” Mr Olufemi said. 

(NAN)