The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has raised concerns that the price of eggs could surge to ₦10,000 per crate if the escalating cost of fuel and other factors are not addressed.
The Association attributed the rising cost of eggs to the increasing price of poultry feed and transportation challenges, with millers continually hiking feed prices.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Saturday, marking World Egg Day, Musa Hakeem, Secretary of PAN, FCT Chapter, emphasized the urgency of government intervention.
Hakeem warned that without swift action, the cost of eggs could hit ₦6,000 per crate due to these pressures.
However, he noted that despite the proportional rise in input costs, PAN has kept the current price at ₦5,500 out of compassion and recognition of the critical role eggs play in nutrition.
“The last grain intervention we received from the government was three years ago,” Hakeem revealed, highlighting the lack of effective support for the sector.
He urged the government to declare an emergency on egg production, given the declining protein intake in Nigeria, stressing the importance of domestic production over imports.
He also called for greater collaboration with PAN in future interventions, noting that the Association holds comprehensive data on all poultry farmers in the FCT.
Hakeem lamented that the government has long neglected the poultry subsector, leaving business owners to fend for themselves. He expressed hope that the industry would not collapse under these pressures.