Farmers in mixed feelings as livestock’s price crashes
By Sunday Ogundiran
As Christmas and New Year festival draw nearer, our correspondent who has been following up on the community farm business discovered that the price of a day old chick direct from hatchery has been reduced.
ECHONEWS had reported that the price of a day old chick which was increased from N200 to about N400 has kept increasing to about N450, forcing some of the small scale farmers out of the business while others diversified their investment to fish farming.
With the chick now sold at the rate of N210, the farmers have expressed mixed feelings as they complained that the late reduction of price could not affect their business positively especially in preparing for the upcoming festivals.
Speaking on the business vis a vis the new price of the chick, the CEO of Kenko Farm, Mr. Akorede Peter told our correspondent that the deflation in the price of the livestock which was just reduced since three months ago may not have any positive influence on the price of the poultry produce for now as the reduction came very close to the festival period.
“The reduction in the price could not change individual farmer’s price of poultry birds because of the delay to get it at the normal price which restricted us from adequately preparing ahead for the festival period.”
He explained further that now that poultry farmers can buy at N210, four weeks old birds would be sold to street hawkers of chicken at the rate of N500, saying the cost of feeds would sum up to determine the price of table size to serve for consumption.
The Managing director of AMCO Farm, Mr. Odubela, who is also touched by the late reduction in the price of a day poultry birds stated that it was too late for the farmers to start preparing rearing chicken for the upcoming festivals.
His words: “Time and stages aside, capital which is one of the determinant factors of the business is not readily available. Farmers who buy a day old chicks now only wants to make arrangements for the future market which is going to turn out to the market next year.
“Those who will buy and sell after four weeks would be selling at the rate of N500 while those that already have livestock before the price reduction are likely to sell a table size of live chicken for N6,500.”
He add that N150 feeding fee per bird daily with the total number of birds acquired by the farmer, plus the amount of a day old chicks would determine individual’s selling price.
He analysed that each of 400 birds acquired by a farmer for instance would be feeding with N150.00 daily for six months when they would be ready for consumption while those reared for four weeks would also be fed with not less than N150 each daily, saying all the costs calculated together would determine individual farmer’s selling price.
He therefore urged the consumers not to expect cheap chicken during the festival.
