Di economic wahala wey Nigerians dey face don worse again as egg price don shoot up.

Before now, dem dey sell egg between N6,000 and N6,500 per crate for retail, but now e don increase to N8,500 per crate as scarcity dey spread for different parts of di country.

Egg, wey dem consider as di cheapest source of protein, don become something wey ordinary people no fit afford again, as price don rise by over 30.77 percent.

Market findings show say farm gate price don climb to about N5,500 per crate, from N5,000 for January, depending on size, while supermarkets and big grocery stores dey sell am as high as N8,500, because of added distribution and operating costs.

From wetin The Guardian see, one egg wey dem dey sell between N200 and N250 two weeks ago, now dey go for N300 to N350.

Dem say dis problem dey because of shortage of day-old chicks (DOC) wey be di main reason for dis supply wahala.

Di Chairman, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Lagos State, Mojeed Iyiola, tell The Guardian yesterday say with dis situation, one crate of egg fit reach N10,000 soon, unless dem take serious steps to solve di problems.

E talk: “Di main reason why egg scarcity dey come be say most old layers don sell finish and poultry farmers no get access to DOCs. Na dis lack of DOCs dey cause di egg shortage for di whole country.

“DOC dey very tight; if you book DOC, e fit take almost five months before you get am. And e go take another five months before di birds start laying eggs. Dis go really affect egg availability. Poultry farmers no get access to DOCs because all hatcheries don full book, till December. Even our national body don try to interfere for dis matter.”

Iyiola note say di association go hold meeting wit egg sellers soon concerning dis development, e add say di high cost of fuel also contribute to di price surge, because transporting di eggs from farm gate, plus di cost of broken eggs, all dey add to di price increase.