Abuja: The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), FCT Chapter, has highlighted eggs as one of the most affordable and complete sources of protein, fulfilling 12-13 percent of daily human nutritional needs. This was revealed during an interview held in Abuja with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to commemorate the 2025 World Egg Day, themed ‘Mighty Egg: Packed with Natural Nutrition’.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, World Egg Day is celebrated annually on the second Friday of October and was established in 1996 by the International Egg Commission (IEC) to promote eggs as an accessible and high-quality nutritional option. Mrs. Yemi Egwudale, Auditor of PAN FCT and MD of Yemi’s Integrated Farms, emphasized that eggs, priced between N150 and N250, serve as a complete diet suitable for all age groups. She noted that consuming two eggs daily could provide a quarter of the body’s protein requirement, a nutritional value that is challenging to find in many other common foods.
Mrs. Egwudale advocated for the revival of the school feeding program, urging authorities to ensure that each pupil consumes at least one egg daily due to its high nutritional content and affordability. She highlighted the protein, carbohydrates, fat, and healthy cholesterol content in eggs, stating, “One or two eggs daily give a child a fully nourishing diet for learning and development.”
Further, Mrs. Egwudale called on government authorities to make daily egg consumption a mandatory component of school meals, citing its broad nutritional benefits for growing children. However, she identified several challenges facing poultry farmers in the country, including insecurity, limited access to veterinary services, and high costs of inputs and day-old chicks.
She detailed that the price of a day-old chick ranges from N1,600 to N1,900, with raising it to the point of lay costing about N9,000, thus making production expensive. She appealed to the government to subsidize poultry inputs, prioritize grants, and offer affordable loans to farmers to ensure sufficient egg production for the growing population.
Mrs. Egwudale suggested that government partnerships with hatcheries, feed mills, and vaccine producers could help reduce production costs, making eggs more affordable and accessible to low-income Nigerians. She also expressed concern over growing insecurity in farming areas, noting that many poultry farmers now operate by proxy due to fears of attacks on farms and staff. She urged the government to urgently address security issues affecting crop and poultry farms, emphasizing that protecting farmers is crucial to achieving national food security goals. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)