“We will use meat, fish or ponmo” – Nigerians complain about inability to afford Christmas chicken

An average chicken was sold for between N15,000 and N17,000 in major markets in Ibadan.

As Christmas celebrations draw near, it seems most families would be celebrating the day without Christmas chicken, as Nigerians lament about the hike in chicken’s price.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), some consumers, poultry sellers and producers in Ibadan attributed this to the rising costs of chicken and production items.

According to NAN, in some major markets in Ibadan, an average chicken was sold for N15,000 and N17,000.

One consumer, Stephen Abidogun said to NAN that he could not afford to buy chickens for Christmas, and had therefore, opted for substitutes.

He said, “Whatever I find within my means can be substituted for chicken – fish, meat or ponmo – will be used, as there are school fees to be paid for the children in January.

“My take home pay has been made meaningless as a result of the rising cost of living and the constant devaluation of the naira.

“Salaries have remained the same while prices of goods and services have tripled within this period.

“With the economic downturn in Nigeria now, one has to live within his means.”

A chicken feeds seller, Mariam Samuel, said that hike in chicken prices was due to the prices of feeds that had gone up.

Samuel said, “The price of maize, which is a major ingredient in the production of feeds, has gone from ₦300 to ₦800 per ‘kongo.’

“Ultima finisher, which now sells for ₦17,000, was sold for ₦15,000, while Topfeeds, which used to sell for ₦10,200, now sells for ₦12,900.”

Peter Alabi, a poultry farmer, also stated that the rise in chicken prices could also be attributed to the price of day-old chick, which is regarded as the bedrock of poultry production.

“A day-old chick is now ₦1,000,” he said.

Alabi also stressed that the hike in the ingredients for the production of feeds had contributed mostly to the lack of fowls for sale.