The Egg Sellers and Distributors Association of Nigeria (ESDAN) has dismissed allegations by poultry farmers that distributors are responsible for the continuous rise in egg prices across the country.
The President of ESDAN, Mrs. Olaide Graham, made the clarification in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos.
Graham explained that the association’s core objective is to make eggs affordable and accessible to the average Nigerian, insisting that distributors are not complicit in any price hike.
“We currently sell a crate of eggs for as low as ₦5,500. No other protein source offers 30 pieces for that price — not fish or meat. Eggs remain the cheapest form of protein and are still available to all despite inflation,” she said.
According to her, the association’s activities are geared toward promoting nutrition and supporting the less privileged.
“In commemoration of this year’s World Egg Day, we distributed aid items to widows, the elderly, and the less privileged. Our theme, ‘The Mighty Egg,’ underscores the importance of eggs as an essential source of protein,” Graham added.
She also revealed that ESDAN had made several efforts to collaborate with poultry farmers under the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) to stabilise prices, but such attempts had been rebuffed.
“We came on board to synergise with PAN, but they refused. They want to produce and sell at the same time. We operate under freedom of association, and many egg sellers who are not members of our group are also active in the market.
“The farmers have enjoyed monopoly for too long and don’t want to see things from our perspective. They sell to major distributors and retailers at the same price and still accuse us of being responsible for the price hike,” she said.
Graham further stressed that the role of middlemen in the poultry value chain is indispensable, warning against attempts to eliminate them.
“It’s impossible to eradicate middlemen if the poultry sector wants to thrive. We buy directly from farmers with cash, sell mostly on credit to retailers, and bear the losses when eggs spoil because they are perishable.
“We know the market dynamics better than the farmers. Without us, the distribution chain would collapse,” she concluded.
NAN reports that poultry farmers have continued to attribute the steady increase in egg prices to the alleged profiteering of middlemen, a claim ESDAN has now strongly denied.