Chijioke Iremeka Parents with children in kindergarten and primary school have expressed frustration as they grapple with the high cost of eggs, lamenting that their kids no longer take eggs to school since their resumption in September following the persistent price hike. Some of them, who spoke to PUNCH Healthwise, said the increase in the price of eggs had left them no option but to stop buying them for their children even when they needed the protein for their optimal development. The parents said a crate of eggs they bought for N4000 a few weeks ago now sells for between N6,000 and N6,500, while a single egg now sells for N250 or more, depending on the location.
The rising cost of maintaining a healthy diet has put a strain on many Nigerians. The average daily cost of a healthy diet in the country reached N1,255 per adult in August 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The NBS in its latest report said the increase represented a 28 per cent rise compared to N982 in March 2024.
Meanwhile, the Poultry Association of Nigeria had warned that if urgent steps were not taken to support poultry farmers, prices of eggs might increase from the current N5,500 to N10,000 per crate. The association attributed the rising cost of the protein to the high cost of transportation as a result of fuel subsidy removal as well as the indiscriminate increase in feed prices by the millers. The Secretary of the Association, Federal Capital Territory chapter, Musa Hakeem, said this.