Stakeholders Call for Increased Day-Old Chick Production to Curb Rising Prices
The Federal and State Governments, in collaboration with private sector investors, have been urged to increase investment in day-old chick production to address supply shortages, reduce prices and improve the sustainability of poultry farming in Nigeria.
The call was made by the Group Managing Director of Arzikin Noma Africa, Adeoluwa Adeshola, during an interview in Abuja on Thursday. He identified inadequate parent stock production capacity as a major factor contributing to the rising cost of day-old chicks.
Arzikin Noma Africa is an agricultural and value-chain development company focused on strengthening food systems, improving agricultural productivity and supporting smallholder farmers across Africa.
According to Adeshola, the concentration of parent stock production in the hands of a few companies has limited supply, leaving poultry farmers to grapple with increasing production costs.
He noted that the imbalance between supply and demand had created an urgent need for greater participation by both government and private investors in the sector.
“The mother stock market is dominated by a few companies with the capacity to produce parent stock, resulting in demand exceeding supply. I am therefore calling on the government and private sector to invest actively in day-old chick production to encourage competition and address the supply gap,” he said.
The development comes amid a significant increase in the market price of day-old chicks, which currently ranges from ₦1,800 to ₦2,100 per bird, compared with ₦1,300 to ₦1,500 recorded two to three months earlier.
The rising prices have sparked concerns among poultry farmers, some of whom argue that the cost of chicks is becoming increasingly difficult for small-scale operators to absorb. While some farmers have questioned the pricing practices of hatcheries, others attribute the increase to seasonal demand and supply limitations.
Rose Ibe, a poultry farmer, observed that chick prices often rise sharply as the festive season approaches, when demand for chicken typically increases.
“There is always an exorbitant hike when we approach December, the peak of chicken sales,” she said.
Another poultry farmer, Andrew Tersor, disclosed that the rising cost of day-old chicks had compelled him to reduce his usual production stock by half. He explained that he previously raised between 150 and 200 birds but could no longer maintain that number under the prevailing cost conditions.
Tersor called on the Federal and State Governments to collaborate in establishing hatcheries across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. He maintained that decentralising production would improve access to day-old chicks, reduce transportation challenges and ease pressure on existing supply channels.
According to him, locating hatcheries closer to poultry-producing communities would help farmers obtain chicks more conveniently and potentially lower their purchase costs.
“We believe if day-old chicks are produced very close to our zone, we can easily access them and the price will reduce drastically,” he said.
The stakeholders’ appeal highlights the need for increased investment in hatchery infrastructure, expanded parent stock capacity and a more geographically distributed production system to strengthen Nigeria’s poultry value chain.
Improving local availability of day-old chicks could help ease input-cost pressures on poultry farmers, particularly small-scale operators, while supporting increased domestic poultry production and a more resilient livestock sector.
