A handful of poultry farmers and other animal breeders in Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara States have abandoned their businesses due to the high cost of feeding, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
A survey conducted by NAN in the affected states reports that prices of animal feeds have been on the increase because most rural dwellers could not cultivate their farms due to security challenges in their settlements.
The situation has affected most of the rural communities across the three states as a high percentage of the residents have relocated to urban settlements, while a few farms in urban areas shut down business.
A veterinarian in Kebbi, Dr Abubakar Umar-Bunza, highlighted that the high cost of feed “is forcing poultry farmers in Kebbi out of business, with some small farms already shut.”
Umar-Bunza, who is in-charge of the Zonal Veterinary Clinic in Birnin Kebbi, told NAN that the removal of fuel subsidy had also triggered inflation that raised the cost of producing crops used in feed, adding that maize accounts for about 55 per cent of poultry feed.
“At the peak, a 100kg bag of maize reached almost N70,000. Soya beans, the next major ingredient, also went for over N90,000 per 100kg.
“If the major ingredients are expensive, the price of feed must also be high,” he said.
He listed transport costs, fertiliser prices and the exchange rate, because some ingredients had to be imported, alongside other factors.
The veterinarian added that competition for grains between humans and animals, and insecurity that keeps farmers away from their farms, had also tightened supply.
Umar-Bunza said transporting 1,200 bags of feed from Kano state used to cost about N300,000 but now costs between N1.2 million and N1.5 million.
He said there was no regulatory body to check prices, adding that feed prices had barely changed between 2025 and 2026.
“I am a consultant to over five poultry farms. Some of them have shut down because they could not sustain the business.
“You cannot keep the animal without feeding, and the eggs and the chickens produce are directly proportional to the feed they consume,” he said.
Umar-Bunza said a farm with 200 bags of feed at about N16,000 per bag faces heavy costs because layers must be fed daily from eight weeks until they start laying at 16 to 20 weeks.
On broilers, he said a day-old chick costs N2,000.
He said 50 broilers could consume six to seven bags of feed, and that after vaccines and labour, a farmer who sells at N8,000 to N9,000 per bird would struggle to recover the money, let alone make a profit.
Umar-Bunza warned that poor-quality feed weakens birds’ immunity and exposes them to disease.
The veterinarian also said some farmers mix feed with cheaper ingredients, which lowers egg output.
The Commissioner for Animal Health, Husbandry and Fisheries, Alhaji Kabiru Alaramma, said the state government was about to complete its veterinary hospital at Bulasa as part of efforts to boost livestock production and businesses in the state.
“The project began 13 years ago and was abandoned, but now it has been revived under Gov. Nasir Idris. It is the largest in the country.”
On his part, the state’s Director of Veterinary Services, Dr Alheri Ibrahim-Senchi, said the hospital would have small and large animal clinics, poultry and avian clinics, surgical theatres and a laboratory.
He said it would serve as a referral and training centre, including residency programmes with academic institutions.
Ibrahim-Senchi said the state’s livestock capacity had drawn the interest of foreign partners, including Brazil.
He said any country that wants to import Nigerian beef requires certification that the meat meets international standards.
“They are aware that we have the capacity to ensure that our animals are fit for human consumption,” he noted.
He added that a standard laboratory was integral to artificial insemination, “which is why one is being built in the facility.
“After collecting semen samples, it should be processed and properly kept, so that it can be used to provide what is necessary to ensure success of artificial insemination.”
A cross-section of poultry farmers, when interviewed, also expressed concern over the rising cost of feed, saying it had significantly increased their production costs and reduced profit margins.
One of the farmers, Madina Ya’u, who operates a poultry farm in Gesse Phase II, Birnin Kebbi, said the situation had become increasingly difficult, forcing her to reduce the number of birds on her farm.
She said the cost of feeding the birds, purchasing vaccines and paying workers had continued to rise, while the selling prices of eggs and poultry products had not increased proportionately.
Another farmer, Armiya’u Bulasa, said the high cost of production had discouraged many small-scale operators, with some abandoning the business.
In Zamfara, the President of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Zamfara Chapter, Alhaji Zayyanu Ahmad, also lamented that poultry farmers were seriously facing lack of patronage, blaming the development on the persisting economic hardship.
Ahmad said although the poultry industry contributes to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, it now witnesses a setback due to the hike in the price of feeds.
He, therefore, called on the government to intervene.
The situation in Zamfara mirrors that a bag of feed that sold for N9,000 last year now sells between N20,000 and N23,000, while the prices of maize and soyabean, the major components, had tripled.
Market survey conducted shows that starter feed sells for about N22,500, finisher for N22,000 and layer feed for about N16,000, while in Minna, broiler feed has risen to about N24,000 and layer feed to about N15,000.
Also speaking, a farmer, Mallam Ibrahim Usman, told NAN that maize was now being sold at N910,000 per tonne, while soybeans were priced at N714,000 per metric tonne.
The farmer attributed the high prices to decreased productivity caused by insecurity and climate change.
He added that the problem was compounded in Zamfara by insecurity in farming belts, high cost of transportation, diesel, and poor roads, which made it more expensive to move feed, chicks and veterinary products from major milling centres in other parts of the state to Gusau and other markets.
“Feed accounts for about 75 per cent of poultry production costs, making the availability of affordable grains critical to the survival of poultry businesses.
“Zamfara farmers buy feed at a high price but are forced to sell eggs and broilers below profitable levels because consumers’ purchasing power has dropped.
“A crate of eggs now sells for about N6,200 in some markets amid declining consumer purchasing power, while broilers fetch between N8,000 and N12,000 depending on size, despite huge spending on feeds and vaccines,” he said.
According to him, farmers in Gusau, Kaura Namoda, Talata Mafara, Anka and other areas faced similar challenges, as feed, which accounted for about 70 to 75 per cent of poultry production cost, has become their biggest burden.
The farmer called for intervention from the government to include subsidising poultry feed ingredients, supporting local production of maize and soybean, and establishing affordable feed-milling facilities.
The Sokoto State Commissioner for Animal Health and Fishery Development, Alhaji Bello Wamakko, said increased budgetary allocation to subsidised animal feeds was incorporated in the 2027 budget, as animal breeders constitute a great percentage of the farming population in the state.
Wamakko said the effort was to ensure that animal keepers enjoy government support like their counterparts in crop production through wet and dry seasons.
A small animal keeper in Sokoto, Safiyanu Musa, said he sold about fifteen of his goats because he could no longer feed them due to the high cost of feeds.
Musa explained that they obtain cheaper feeds during crop harvesting periods, mostly between October and November; however, due to security challenges, the rural dwellers could not come with the feeds.
Another animal keeper in Diploma Area in Sokoto metropolis, Alhaji Abdullahi Danyawuri, described animal rearing as a difficult business at present because of the exorbitant prices of feeds.
Danyawuri said most of his colleagues abandoned the business or reduced the number of animals they rear, stressing that most of the sales could not compensate for the expenses encountered during rearing.
A domestic cattle rearer in Rijiyar Dorowa in Sokoto metropolis, Malam Nasir Mojo, said he migrated from cow rearing to goat keeping due to the high cost of feeds and unfavourable markets.
Mojo said high prices had forced many business owners to abandon animal keeping, including housewives who previously engaged in one or another small animal rearing, because of high feeding challenges.
“We find it difficult to access loans with affordable interest rates. If farmers can access loans, they can plan better and purchase raw materials in bulk to produce their own feed.
“Subsidising feed production inputs and establishing government-supported feed production plants will go a long way in cushioning the effects of rising inflation on farmers,” Mojo said.
According to him, animal keeping is a source of income to many citizens, but because of other challenges, people left for other businesses, adding that at present it is not profitable.
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A cross-section of business owners warned that without urgent intervention, more poultry farms and animal breeders’ businesses would collapse, leading to job losses, scarcity of eggs and chicken.
He observed that higher price of protein had already engulfed households who were already battling food inflation.
They said the hike in the price of feed had led to significant financial losses in the sector.
The farmers appealed to the government to support poultry farmers through subsidised feed, improved access to agricultural inputs and soft loans facilities alongside other interventions to reduce production costs.
(NAN)
