Nigerians Lament High Price Of Christmas Chicken

As Christians prepare for Christmas, many Nigerians are lamenting the high costs of chicken, saying they cannot afford the livestock for the yuletide.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondents who visited some markets within the city centre and some satellite towns, observed that the price of chicken has doubled, as compared to the price few weeks ago.

At the Wuse market, a large size chicken sold for  between N6,500 and N8,000, and medium sized went for between 4,000 and 5,000, while turkey sold for between N25,000 and N35,000 depending on size.

At Gwagwalada market, the regular size chicken sold for between N5,500 and N9,000, while turkey sold for between N20,000 and N35,000.

The same was the case at  Masaka market as a chicken is sold for between N6,500 and N8,000,  while turkey is between N27,000 and N35,000 ahead of Christmas Day.

Some poultry farmers attributed the high cost of  chicken to increase in their feeds during the season.

The farmers said that the price  of poultry feeds had gone up by 100 per cent.

They said the high demand for materials used in making the feeds such as maize and soya was responsible for the increase in price of poultry feeds.

Mr David Longyen, a poultry farmer said that a bag of vital feeds in 2020 was N3,200, and a month ago went for N6,500; but now sells for N7,200.

“There are several factors affecting the hike in the price of chicken but the most significant is the hike in cost of chicken feeds,” he said of the crisis that faced many Nigerians ahead of Christmas in 2021.

“ Since January this year till now, the price of feeds has been increasing and there is nothing we can do. We need to keep buying the feeds to keep the chicken alive.

“ We are in business to make profit, but I can tell you that we make little or no profit in the rearing of poultry animal this year as compared with 2020,” he said.

Another poultry farmer, Mrs Maria Akinsanya, who sells at 7,500 per chicken, said that many could not afford to buy because of the high price.

Akinsanya, who said she sold her chicken in 2020 for between N3,500 and N4,000, adding that a month ago she sold for 4,000 to 5,000.

“Now I  cannot sell for less than N7,500, this is almost 50 per cent increase a month ago and over 100 per cent increase from 2020.”

Mrs Rosemary Onah, a mother of three and a buyer, told NAN that she was considering looking for alternatives for the celebration because she could not afford to buy chicken this year.

“ Usually, cooking with chicken is the real thing we do every Christmas but this time,  I don’t think it’s possible.

“ But with what is happening now, I don’t think I can afford to buy a chicken for N8,000 when I will still need to buy other things to accompany the cooking,” she said.

Mrs Evelyn Okafor, a resident of Gwagwalada expressed displeasure with other Nigerians the way the price of chicken had gone up this Christmas season.

Okafor told NAN she would reduce the number of chickens she would buy for this Christmas.

“ Normally, I buy two to three chicken for my family to celebrate Christmas every year but I can’t do that now because of the increase in price.

“ I will only go for one and buy meat to support it. I need to make my family happy this season, so with just one, I think we will all be okay,” she said.

NAN reports that Poultry Farmers Association of Nigeria (PAN) had recently at a forum predicted that Nigerians would buy chickens at exorbitant costs during the festive period due to high cost of production.

The association also said that foreign exchange and security challenges in the country were major factors contributing to the increase in poultry products.

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