Poultry Farmers Groan Amid Rising Production Costs, Shrinking Profit Margins

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Smallholder poultry farmers across Nigeria’s North-East have urged federal and state governments to intervene urgently to prevent the subsector from collapsing amid rising production costs and shrinking profit margins.

Farmers interviewed in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states on Sunday said soaring prices of poultry feed, day-old chicks and veterinary medicines were making it increasingly difficult to sustain their businesses, with some already abandoning production.

Godwin Dedan, a poultry farmer and dealer in feed and medicines, called for targeted government interventions to ease the burden on small-scale producers.

He said the rising cost of feed remained one of the sector’s biggest challenges, urging the government to support local production of essential feed ingredients.

“Such interventions could include subsidising poultry feed ingredients, supporting local production of maize and soybean, and establishing affordable feed-milling facilities,” he said.

Dedan also advocated low-interest loans and grants to help smallholder farmers purchase day-old chicks, feed, vaccines and other essential inputs.

He said sustained government support, improved market access and affordable production inputs were necessary to keep small-scale poultry businesses operating.

In Adamawa State, Haruna Ismail, who raises between 50 and 100 birds in Yola South, said the price of day-old chicks had more than doubled, rising from between N980 and N1,050 in 2025 to N2,270.

He added that a bag of poultry feed, previously sold for between N16,000 and N18,000, now cost between N21,600 and N23,000.

Ismail said poultry medicines had also become more expensive, with some sachets that previously sold for between N400 and N800 now costing between N1,800 and N2,000.

He said the rising costs had forced him to reduce the number of birds he purchased and adjust spending on feed and medication.

Another poultry farmer in Yola North, Peace Samuel, described the cost of production as increasingly unsustainable.

“After rearing birds for six to seven weeks and feeding them at such high costs, it will be fair to sell at N20,000 each. But some people may prefer to buy beef for N10,000 instead of chicken,” she said.

Samuel identified disease outbreaks, including coccidiosis, Newcastle disease and Gumboro, as additional challenges confronting poultry farmers.

She warned that delayed treatment of infections could lead to high bird mortality and substantial financial losses.

In Biu, Borno State, farmers also appealed to the state and federal governments to support the subsector, citing its potential to create jobs and increase food supplies.

Shettima Isa, a poultry farmer in Tum, said a bag of feed now sold for N18,000, compared with N10,000 previously.

“This is increasingly becoming unbearable because you will spend huge money on feeds and vaccines and end up selling the broiler for between N8,000 and N12,000 depending on their sizes.

“We hardly make enough profit, and so many stopped the business, and many jobs were lost too because it’s a value chain.

“If the government will support poultry farmers in Biu and in the entire state, we will have more jobs created and have more food for Nigerians,” he said.

Another farmer in Biu town, Usman Kabiru, said he had abandoned poultry farming because of high feed costs and poor selling prices.

Kabiru, however, said he might consider returning to the business if the government subsidised feed and other essential inputs.

In Potiskum, Yobe State, poultry farmer Isa Bawa said feed prices had risen sharply over the past five years, significantly increasing production expenses.

“As of four to five years back, the price of a sack of poultry feed was between N5,000 and N7,000 but gradually reached N23,000 for starter and N21,000 for finisher,” he said.

Another Potiskum-based farmer, Usman Maidede, said the high cost of feed had reduced the number of poultry farmers in the area, sometimes resulting in shortages of eggs and live birds.

“When the price is high, the farmers rear less, which in turn causes less availability for the buyers,” Maidede said.

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