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By Lukman Olabiyi
Feed millers, under the aegis of Feed Industry Practitioner Association of Nigeria (FIPAN), has declared that scarcity of eggs, chicken and other livestock was imminent due to unavailability and increase in the cost of maize and soya beans.
FIPAN said Nigerians might begin to depend on eggs, chicken, and other livestock imported at outrageous cost if the federal government failed to intervene and release grains from the nation’s reserve to alleviate their plights.
The president of the association, Raymond Isiadinso, raised the alarm while addressing journalists at a briefing. He said the high cost of eggs, chicken, fish and other poultry products, was as a result of scarcity of maize and soya bean, an essential ingredient in the production of poultry feed.
The association also expressed the fear of increased unemployment if the industry folds up, noting that it contributes about 45 per cent of the nation’s labour force.
While recommending ways to mitigate the impending food crisis, Isindinaso said FIPAN was demanding the immediate stoppage of exportation of Soya bean seed and intervention on the importation of maize for livestock feeds. He urged the newly appointed Minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Abubakar Kyari, to buckle up for the challenges ahead and tackle food insecurity to guarantee food sufficiency across the country.
“A short window should be opened to stakeholders to import grains to augment our daily shortage, as well as create a long lasting mechanism of two to four years to address the challenges we’re facing.”
