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By Chinyere Anyanwu
The Lagos State chapter of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has decried the high cost of maize, soy and wheat, the major components of feed production, even as it called on government to stop the importation of frozen foods.
This was contained in a speech by its Chairman, Iyiola Mojeed, in Lagos recently.
The association’s chairman lamented that owing to the hard times his members have been subjected to, many have been forced out of business.
According to him, “the availability and prices of maize, soy and wheat, the major components of feed in our industry, have gone to the extreme, meaning that production of eggs and other poultry products is at risk in the country, which normally shouldn’t be.”
Lamenting the impact of insecurity on the poultry value chain in the country, Mojeed said, “the larger chunk of the maize used in our industry is sourced from the northern part of the country and as we all know, the issue of banditry has driven most of the farmers away from their farms. Many of them have relocated to other regions and engage in other economic activities like many seen in Lagos riding “Okada”. This is seriously affecting the industry.”
He noted that, “currently, the business is no longer profitable as most poultry farmers have closed shop. About 30 to 40 per cent of big poultry farmers in Lagos State have closed down their farms because they make losses on daily basis.
“If the industry is allowed to collapse, it would have a profound negative impact on human lives. In developed countries, the wellbeing of poultry farmers are not taken for granted. Their governments do all they can to assist the industry but in Nigeria the reverse is the case. So we’re appealing to the government to come to our aid considering the importance of our industry.”
Proffering solution to the situation, the PAN chairman said, “we’re now proposing a stop gap solution to address this problem to prevent total collapse of the industry. We want government to give PAN national import license to import maize and soy for its members because the existing importers of maize are working against the farmers because they’re selling the product at over 200 per cent higher than the landing cost. Poultry farmers need support. They need help at this time.”
He also called on government to “assist us in total banning of importation of frozen food.
In addition, he solicited “government assistance in protecting farmers from violence and insecurity on their farms. Government needs to take action to address the issue of farm security.”
