Antibiotic Use in Nigerian Eggs Locks Local Farmers Out of Egg Powder Market — PAN

News in Brief:

— Poultry farmers' association warns that egg producers' heavy reliance on antibiotics is pushing Nigerian companies toward imported egg powder.

— With farmers destroying thousands of egg crates weekly over weak demand, the association is pressing Lagos State to fast-track a delayed egg powder factory in Epe.

The Chairman of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Lagos State Chapter, Mojeed Iyiola, claims that the widespread use of antibiotics in egg production is costing farmers a place in the country's egg powder market, as food manufacturers turn to imported alternatives to avoid drug residues.

Iyiola stated that Nigeria needs dedicated, specialised production systems for eggs meant for processing if local farmers are to compete with imported egg powder.

Antibiotics, Not Probiotics

Speaking with newsmen, Iyiola said many Nigerian farmers depend heavily on antibiotics to treat their birds, unlike producers in Europe, who lean more on probiotics.

He said this gap was keeping major food companies, including Cadbury, away from locally produced egg powder.

"The reason is that in Nigeria, we use some of the major antibiotics to treat some of our birds, but in Europe, they don't use antibiotics. They have probiotics they are using," he explained.

Iyiola stated that farmers supplying the egg powder industry would need to raise dedicated flocks kept free of antibiotic treatment, and called on government to support farmers in adopting these practices.

The comments come as poultry farmers continue to battle weak egg demand, a problem PAN says is forcing farmers to destroy thousands of crates of eggs every week.

"Farmers are suffering seriously because thousands of crates of eggs are being buried every week, due to low sales," Iyiola said.

He added that farmers were being squeezed from both ends. Feed costs remain high even as they are forced to cut egg prices to move stock, and cutting back on feeding to save money is not an option, since it would hurt egg production and deepen their losses.

Epe Egg Powder Factory Delay

Iyiola renewed calls for the Lagos State Government to fast-track operations at a proposed egg powder factory in Igbodo, Epe, which PAN had earlier hoped would begin operating before the end of 2025. The plant is yet to commence operations.

He said that the facility could offer farmers an outlet for surplus eggs and cut down waste volume.

"The best will not be materialised until the factory starts operation. So instead of losing eggs like this, we convert them to egg powder, and that is more storable," he said.

Converting fresh eggs into powder would extend their shelf life significantly and open new markets for farmers, Iyiola said.

Weak Demand Meets High Input Costs

Separately, the President of the Nigeria Agribusiness Group, Kabir Ibrahim, linked Nigeria's deepening food difficulties to declining consumer purchasing power and high costs of farm inputs.

Ibrahim explained that while weak demand would normally push food prices down, rising production costs are keeping food inflation elevated instead.

He also said the Federal Government's zero-tariff import policy on selected food items, which ran from July to December 2024, had contributed to farmer apathy, particularly as input costs kept climbing through the period.

Ibrahim urged the government to give agriculture, agribusiness and security greater priority in efforts to shore up domestic food production and ease Nigeria's food supply challenges.