Manufacturers of dairy and chicken feeds have increased the prices of their products. This follows an unprecedented rise in the prices of dry maize.
On average, livestock feeds have gone up by between Sh50 and Sh70 per 50kg bag depending on the manufacturer. For instance, a 50 kilo bag of Pembe chick mash is selling at Sh2,400 from Sh2,330.
Unga Group CEO Nick Hutchinson states that these increased prices were revised two weeks ago to match the rising cost of maize. “We are buying a bag of maize meant for animal feeds at almost the same price as the one meant for human flour and this competition in the wake of dwindling supplies has seen an increase in the cost of animal feeds,” he said.
According to Wairimu Kariuki, chairperson of Kenya Poultry Association, the move to increase the price of animal feeds is a double tragedy for farmers given that the prices went up in 2013 when the 16 per cent VAT duty was imposed.
She further noted that if farmers raise the cost of animal products, consumption will drop and they will incur losses given that they must sell off their birds at a certain point.
“Broiler chickens have to be sold when they attain a certain age and farmers will have no alternative but to sell them off even if it’s at a lower price and that will lead to losses,” she said.