200% Price Surge Pushes Egg, Chicken Off Nigerians’ Menu

Despite the declaration of a nationalist exigency connected nutrient information successful the country, the soaring prices of eggs and chickenhearted successful Nigerian markets has sparked interest among consumers and producers alike.

In the past 2 years, the prices of eggs and chickenhearted person accrued from 200 per cent to 250 per cent, depending connected the parts of the country.

LEADERSHIP Friday checks successful markets successful assorted states of the federation showed that the prices of a crate of eggs jumped from N2,000 and N2,500 to N5,000 and N7,000 successful conscionable 2 years crossed the country. The aforesaid goes for the prices of chicken.

This improvement has forced astir Nigerians, particularly the poor, to halt including chickenhearted and eggs successful their menus, raising fears of macromolecule deficiency among the citizens.

Two years ago, the authorities declared a authorities of exigency connected nutrient security, but the prices of astir items person so gone up. Protein, the astir indispensable request for a steadfast society, does not look to beryllium wrong scope for galore radical due to the fact that of precocious prices.

This year, specifically connected 15th April 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu again declared a nationalist exigency connected nutrient security.

Protein is indispensable for the body’s maturation and development, maintenance, repair, and replacement of worn-out oregon damaged tissues, accumulation of metabolic and digestive enzymes, and is an indispensable constituent of definite hormones. One superior root of macromolecule for astir households is eggs. However, a crate of eggs present sells for betwixt N6,000 and N7,000, prompting consumers to outcry out. In January 2023, 1 crate outgo conscionable N850, but by June 2023, pursuing the wide ostentation that followed the removal of the petrol subsidy, the terms had risen to betwixt N2,000 and N2,200. Since then, the terms has steadily accrued to the contiguous cost.

Middlemen to blame

A elder manager successful the Ministry of Livestock Development, who requested anonymity, attributed the crisp summation successful ovum and chickenhearted prices to profiteering middlemen, fluctuating provender prices, and mediocre farm-level worth addition.

Consumers successful the states who spoke to LEADERSHIP Friday called for authorities intervention.

“Go to the marketplace and inquire the provender sellers. Six months ago, however overmuch was a container of feed? Today, however overmuch is it? The aforesaid applies to eggs. You volition spot that farmers are not the ones making the large money. They are struggling with hardly N200 nett per crate, portion middlemen sometimes marque arsenic overmuch arsenic N500 per crate conscionable by reselling,” the authoritative told our correspondent.

According to him, poultry farmers look aggregate challenges, ranging from unstable provender prices—especially maize-based feed—to precocious vigor costs, mediocre h2o proviso for birds, and low-quality inputs. These factors, helium explained, trim ovum accumulation capableness and shrink nett margins.

He added that provender prices person reduced by astir 23 per cent, grounds that authorities policies person yielded disposable results.

“If you spell to the market, sellers volition corroborate provender prices are down, but is it reflected successful the terms of eggs and chicken? The reply is no. Why? Because middlemen person hijacked the process. If Dangote announces that substance prices person dropped, does it bespeak immediately? No, due to the fact that marketers won’t let it. But erstwhile helium says the terms has increased, everything goes up wrong minutes. That is the occupation we look successful this country,” helium said.

Agricultural expert Surajo Muhammad besides commented that mediocre absorption practices, harsh weather, and precocious labour and administrative costs worsen farmers’ situations.

The ministry authoritative and Muhammad recommended targeted authorities involution done provender subsidies and nonstop enactment to poultry farms.

Similarly, Mr Erivona Philip, CEO of Rivona Farms, said the provender outgo is not determined solely by the outgo of earthy materials but besides by different factors, specified arsenic logistics/transportation and treble taxation.

“The precocious outgo of provender is not solely owed to the precocious outgo of earthy materials. The outgo of logistics/transportation, the occupation of treble taxation, and precocious operating costs each lend to the precocious outgo of poultry feed, truthful to execute low-cost feed, the authorities indispensable trim these different costs.

“Farmers merchantability eggs betwixt N5,000 and N5,500 per crate, depending connected ovum size and workplace location. The harsh operating situation and the precocious outgo of doing concern are wherefore retailers are selling betwixt N5,600 and N7,000.”

Meanwhile, the CEO of Jekulla Int’l, Jeremiah Emmanuel Kucha, believes determination is nary crushed for poultry feeds and different products to beryllium arsenic costly arsenic they are now. He argued that the outgo of earthy materials utilized successful provender accumulation has fallen significantly.

“There’s nary crushed for poultry feeds to beryllium arsenic costly arsenic they are now. People often blasted the governme...