Nakuru County Governor Lee Kinyanjui has expressed concern over high cost of poultry feeds and low egg prices that are hindering poultry farmers from making profit.
However, he appealed to the farmers to be a bit patient and not to abandon the lucrative poultry farming as the county formulates policies that will enable them to make justifiable profits from their trade.
He made the remarks Thursday while touring the Nakuru ASK show, which commenced Wednesday after a lull of two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The governor appealed to the residents to turn up in large numbers and learn the modern farming technologies that have been displayed at the showground.
The County Secretary of Poultry Farming Michael Wachira informed the governor that they have calculated the cost of producing one egg and it comes to Sh17.00. Hence, unless a poultry farmer sells a crate of eggs at Sh544, anything less was a total loss.
The governor decried the sale of cheap eggs from the neighbouring countries despite a government ban last year pointing out that it was restraining and curtailing the market for the local farmers.
Wachira said the neighbouring countries sold their eggs cheaply because poultry feeds were subsidized by their government and the price of maize, which is a major ingredient of the feeds, was much cheaper than the local maize.
Despite the high cost of feeds, the county is still known as a major poultry farming area since a number of farmers have always embraced the practice.
A number of Chinese companies displayed poultry cages which they marketed as easier to clean and can reduce diseases that eat into the farmers’ profits. A cage of 100 birds was retailing at Sh33, 000 compared to Sh50, 000 when they were first introduced to the country.
By Veronica Bosibori
