Some residents of Lagos State are switching to other alternative sources of protein for their children and wards due to the continuous hike in the price of eggs.
They disclosed this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), yesterday, in Lagos.
The residents noted that eggs had become too expensive and out of reach for the poor.
They lamented that the frequent hike in the price of eggs was threatening nutrition, health and well-being of underage children in the country.
A businesswoman, Chinyere Obasi, said she could no longer afford to feed her children one egg a day as was the tradition in her home.
She noted that a medium-sized crate of eggs cost between N3,500 and 3,800, while the large-sized crate cost between N4,000 and N4,200.
Obasi, a mother of four, said in the last one month, the price of the commodity had changed more than five times.
She said with the current economic situation in the country, spending that amount of money weekly could not be sustained considering other obligations seeking attention.
Another resident, Yetunde Ishola, a hairdresser, urged state and federal governments to find a lasting solution to the continuous hike in the poultry produce.
Ishola said she had stopped buying eggs for now due to the increase in the price of the commodity and feeding the children cheese.
Another resident, Promise Nwachukwu, a 40-year-old food seller, said she had removed eggs from her family’s grocery list because they had become too costly.
Nwachukwu said she was considering other protein alternatives like sausage, fish and cheese to replace egg, especially for her young children who cannot do without consuming eggs daily.
Meanwhile, a poultry farmer, Jude Koyenha, has urged the government to intervene and save the sector from a total collapse.
Koyenha said the high cost of poultry feeds was responsible for the frequent hike in the price of eggs.
He added there was nothing farmers could do to bring the price down.
