The Federal and state governments, alongside private investors, have been urged to increase investment in day-old chick production to address supply shortages, reduce prices and support poultry farmers across Nigeria.
The Group Managing Director of Arzikin Noma Africa, Adeoluwa Adeshola, made the call during an interview in Abuja on Thursday, 15th of October 2026 identifying limited parent stock production capacity as a major factor contributing to the rising cost of chicks.
Arzikin Noma Africa is an agricultural and value-chain development company focused on improving food systems, enhancing farm productivity and supporting smallholder farmers across Africa.
Adeshola said the concentration of parent stock production in the hands of a few companies had constrained supply, leaving poultry farmers to grapple with increasing production costs.
“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.
“I call on the government and the private sector to invest actively in the production of day-old chicks to break the monopoly,” he said.
Day-old chicks currently sell for between N1,800 and N2,100 per bird, compared with N1,300 to N1,500 recorded two to three months ago.
The increase has sparked concerns among poultry farmers, some of whom accuse hatcheries of charging prices that make it increasingly difficult for small-scale operators to remain competitive. Others, however, attribute the rising costs to seasonal demand and supply constraints.
A poultry farmer, Rose Ibe, said significant increases in chick prices were common as the festive season approached, when demand for chicken typically rises.
“There is always an exorbitant hike when we approach December, the peak of chicken sales,” she said.
Another poultry farmer, Andrew Tersor, said the rising cost of day-old chicks had forced him to reduce his usual stock of between 150 and 200 birds by half.
Tersor urged the Federal and state governments to collaborate in establishing hatcheries across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, noting that decentralised production would improve access to chicks while reducing transportation and supply challenges.
“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.
