Crop farmers in Kuje and Gwagwalada Area Councils, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Saturday decried the scarcity and hike in the price of poultry droppings in the territory.
Some of the farmers who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kuje and Gwagwalada Area Councils attributed the scarcity and hike to increased demand of the product.
Mr Danladi Musa, a crop farmer in Kuje, told NAN that he has been using the poultry droppings as manure in his farm for the past four years because of the high cost of the fertilisers.
He said the sudden scarcity and hike in the price of the droppings would affect farm produce because most farmers in this area relied on it because of the high cost of fertilisers.
He said a 100kg sack of the poultry droppings sold for N800 last year was currently sold for between N2,000 and N2,500 depending on the farm.
“A 100kg sack is currently sold for N2,000 in farms and you will have to book ahead for supply and N2,500 in some farms where the product is readily available.
“It is not funny because it has never been scarce and expensive this way.
“We are appealing to the poultry farmers to consider the low income farmers and bring down the price,” he said.
Mr Abdulahi Isa, a farmer in Gwagwalada Area Council, blamed the scarcity and hike on increased pressure on poultry farms for the product in the FCT.
He said he had booked for the product for the past three weeks but had not gotten his supply because several trucks from different parts of the country were coming for the product.
“In the past, they beg us to come and carry droppings from poultry but now as you can see, trucks from different parts of the country are waiting to be loaded.
“Since the pressure is high on the poultry farmers, they will have no choice than to increase the price to make more money,” he said.
Isa, therefore, called on the government at all levels to make fertilisers available and affordable for farmers at the grassroots to boost production.
Mr Zubiru Abdullahi, the Manure Manager, Premium Farms, said the demand for poultry droppings had increased geometrically and so, it had been difficult for the farm to meet its demand.
He said the dung had been fully booked for the season, adding that the product would only be available for farmers yet to book from May when the rains would be setting in.
“We have been having patronage from different parts of the country, particularly far Northern states, and that is why trucks are regularly here waiting to be loaded,” he said. (NAN)