The Lagos State chapter of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) on Tuesday lamented the dwindling profit being recorded by poultry farmers as against middlemen during yuletide seasons.
The General Secretary of the association, Olugbenga Ogunsetan, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that poultry traders were making more profits to the detriment of the farmers.
He pointed out that the prices of poultry products sold to the end users by the traders were too high.
“It is usually difficult to regulate the market price of the products. Farmers sell to the market women at cheaper rates.
“But they sell at high prices because they take advantage of the yuletide to make much profit.
“It is difficult to regulate this shortcoming but not impossible to amend,’’ Ogunsetan told NAN.
But the traders absolved themselves from the arbitrary hike in prices of poultry products, especially during festive periods.
A trader, who simply identified herself as Iya Bisi, told NAN that the cost of transportation from the farm to market was a major factor for the price hike.
She also said that sometimes traders were forced to use “wheelbarrow boys’’ to carry the products from the farm which might be distant to the market.
“We usually get a bird from farmers between N600 and N700 but transporting them to the markets and other costs are there too.
“Now, we sell a medium sized chicken for between N1,200 and N1,500 depending on the size.
“Soon, the price may go up because transporters will hike their charges when Christmas approaches,’’ she said.
Meanwhile, the poultry traders have started displaying their stock along road side as the Christmas festival approaches.
On preparation for the Yuletide sales, Ogunsetan said that the farming season starts in July but that farmer could still rear six weeks old broilers.
Ladi Fasola, a poultry farmer in Ayobo Area of Lagos, told NAN that market women had booked for more than half of his birds.
“I sold each of the birds at N700 to the market women, who will sell at the prices they deemed profitable.
“As the celebration draws nearer, more traders will to book for products,’’ he said.
NAN reports that a big size bird is selling for between N1,500 and N2,000 at the Oko-Oba Market, Agege.
An old layer, which used to sell for N1,000 in October now cost N1,200.
