Poultry farmers in Nigeria have called for urgent government intervention to reduce feed prices, improve access to affordable loans and address shortages of day-old chicks, warning that rising production costs and other challenges threaten the sector’s sustainability.
The farmers also identified insecurity, disease outbreaks, inadequate insurance cover and high grain prices as major obstacles to expanding production and meeting the country’s demand for affordable food and protein.
The concerns were raised in Abeokuta, Ogun State, ahead of the 2026 Nigerian Poultry Show, scheduled to hold from November 3 to 5 at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Complex, Oke-Mosan.
The event, tagged “Building a Sustainable and Resilient Poultry Industry in Challenging Times”, is expected to bring together farmers, investors, researchers, financial institutions, government representatives and other stakeholders across the livestock value chain.
The Chairman of the Poultry Association of Nigeria’s South-West zone and national vice-president for the region, Rev Oluleye Gideon Olugbeja, said the industry needed practical strategies to sustain production despite the country’s economic challenges.
“Majorly, we are trying to build a poultry industry that is sustainable and resilient in challenging times,” he said.
While acknowledging government efforts to address challenges in the agricultural sector, Olugbeja said industry professionals also needed to deploy their expertise and innovation to improve production and overcome existing constraints.
He argued that food security should be treated as an essential component of national security, warning that insecurity could persist in a country unable to provide sufficient food for its population.
“A country that can secure its external borders but cannot secure food for the people hardly will be stable because people will agitate,” he said.
Olugbeja said the poultry show would expose farmers and other industry players to new technologies, research findings and investment opportunities aimed at improving productivity and reducing food costs.
He said the event would also provide opportunities for farmers to engage with financial institutions and investors to secure funding for business expansion.
“We are using this as our own sector to make sure that we help the nation to bring down the cost of food, provide enough availability of food and protein sufficiency for the entire nation,” he added.
Participants are expected to learn about modern equipment, improved feeding technologies, precision farming, data-driven production, organic farming systems and better biosecurity practices.
Exhibitors and experts from the United States, Europe, China, India, Israel and Australia are also expected to showcase innovations and technologies.
Olugbeja said the event was not restricted to large-scale farmers, noting that feed millers, veterinary drug manufacturers and sellers, animal scientists, logistics providers, entrepreneurs and young people interested in poultry and livestock production could also benefit.
He described the sector as a major source of employment and a potential driver of industrialisation in Nigeria’s agricultural economy.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Nigerian Poultry Show and poultry farmer, Dr Olalekan Odunsi, said the annual event was designed to help farmers establish business connections, find solutions to their challenges and engage directly with government officials, financial institutions and industry experts.
“This event is largely put together so that farmers can have a breather, make connections and have solutions to their problems,” he said.
Odunsi said the organisers expected the Minister of Livestock Development, the National Coordinator of AIRPRES, Abubakar Sani, and the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture to attend. The Ogun State Government was also expected to participate.
He identified insecurity, high grain prices, inadequate financing, disease outbreaks, insufficient insurance cover and shortages of day-old chicks, particularly pullets, as major concerns for poultry farmers.
According to him, feed accounts for about 75 per cent of poultry production costs, making access to affordable grains crucial to the survival of businesses in the sector.
“If feed is not made available, it will be a challenge,” he said, calling for measures to reduce feed production costs.
Odunsi urged the government and financial institutions to improve access to affordable agricultural loans, including financing at single-digit interest rates, to enable farmers to expand production and meet the country’s food needs.
“A lot of farmers need to expand so that we can feed the populace, but finance is a challenge. How do we bring down the interest rate to a bearable amount?” he asked.
He also expressed concern about disease outbreaks and inadequate insurance protection for poultry businesses, urging insurance companies to develop products that would cover losses caused by diseases and other unforeseen events.
The farmer said the rising cost and shortage of day-old chicks, particularly pullets, were adding to production expenses.
He noted that raising pullets from day-old chicks to the point-of-lay stage had become increasingly expensive, while broiler chick prices had also risen considerably.
Odunsi called for government intervention and stronger collaboration among stakeholders to ease the pressure on farmers and make poultry production more sustainable.
The organisers said they were also working with security agencies to address insecurity, which had made some farmers increasingly reluctant to visit their farms.
They urged poultry farmers, prospective entrants, young people, investors, businesses, researchers and other stakeholders across the livestock value chain to attend the November event.
Participants are expected to explore new technologies, establish business partnerships, access information on funding opportunities and learn practical ways to improve efficiency and profitability.
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