Rising day-old chick prices are putting additional pressure on Nigeria’s poultry farmers, prompting calls for federal and state governments, alongside private investors, to expand domestic production and improve access to affordable chicks.
Adeoluwa Adeshola, Group Managing Director of Arzikin Noma Africa, said limited capacity to produce parent stock was contributing to supply shortages and higher prices in the poultry industry.
Speaking in an interview in Abuja, Adeshola argued that the concentration of parent stock production among a small number of companies had restricted supply, leaving farmers with fewer options as demand continued to grow.
He urged public authorities and private investors to establish and expand production facilities, saying greater investment in day-old chick production could help ease supply constraints and reduce the market dominance of a few producers.
“There is a lot of monopoly when it comes to the mother stock. Only a few companies have the capacity to produce it, so demand is more than supply,” Adeshola said, calling for increased investment to widen access to chicks.
Day-old chicks are now selling for between N1,800 and N2,100 per bird, up from approximately N1,300 to N1,500 recorded two to three months earlier. The increase is adding to the financial burden on farmers already managing feed, medication, labour and other production expenses.
However, some industry participants attribute the rising prices partly to seasonal demand and supply limitations. Rose Ibe, a poultry farmer, said chick prices typically rise sharply as December approaches, when demand for chicken increases ahead of the festive season.
“There is always an exorbitant hike when we approach December, the peak of chicken sales,” she said.
For some producers, the higher cost of starting a flock is already affecting production decisions. Andrew Tersor, another poultry farmer, said the price increases had forced him to reduce his usual stock of between 150 and 200 birds by half.
Tersor called for federal and state governments to collaborate in establishing hatcheries across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. He said locating production facilities closer to farmers could improve availability, reduce transportation challenges and ease pressure on prices.
“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.
Arzikin Noma Africa works in agricultural and value-chain development, with a focus on improving food systems, increasing farm productivity and supporting smallholder farmers across Africa.
Expanding hatchery capacity and strengthening domestic parent stock production could help Nigeria address chick shortages and make poultry farming more accessible to smaller operators. Coordinated public and private investment, alongside stronger regional supply networks, will be important in improving availability, managing seasonal price pressures and supporting sustainable growth in the country’s poultry industry.
