With the increase in maize prices for the 2023/2024 Farming Marketing season feed prices for livestock and other essential commodities are rapidly increasing due to high cost of production.
A check by the Zambian Business Times – ZBT – in Lusaka with one of Zambia’s leading suppliers Nutri Feeds Zambia and Novatek Animal Feeds Zambia, established that feed prices have indeed been increased for broiler grower, starter and finisher have all been increased by about 20%.
Nutri Feed broiler starter is now fetching between K568 from K479, an increase of K89 which translates to about 20%, grower has also been increased by 20% to K543 from K454 while Finisher has been increased to K543 from K454 while Finisher has also been increased to K528 from K439.
Broiler starter, Grower and Finisher while Novateke broiler feed starter has also been increased by K5 from K524 to K529, grower by K24 from K497 to K521 and finisher by K23 now fetching between K507 and K484 respectively.
This is after the price of Maize, a major ingredient in Livestock feed formulation, was increased by the Food Reserve Agency – FRA – by over 50 percent from K180 to K280 per 50KG bag.
FRA announced that they had stopped supplying subsidized maize to millers a situation which has resulted in some millers to resolve to increase the price of feed for them to be able to remain in business.
According to the feed traders who spoke to ZBT, it is this increase in the price of Maize (now at K280 per 50kg bag) which has led to the increase in livestock feed price. Maize is a major component in Livestock feed formulation.
The Food Reserve Agency – FRA – increased maize prices for the 2023/2024 farming marketing season from K180 in the last year to K280 this year a situation that has caused increased cost of production for those in feed production prompting them to increase the prices.
Some poultry farmers and concerned citizens have however expressed concern at this development, which is defeating the expectation that prices would start coming down following the debt restructuring deal.
They have however appealed to Government to engage the key stakeholders to resolve this price escalation, as the cost of living will continue going up since this will eventually lead to increase in cost of chickens and eggs among other foodstuffs.
