The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has called for support from the Federal Government through grain interventions in 2024.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Wednesday, Mr Mojeed Iyiola, the Chairman of PAN, Lagos chapter, emphasised that sustained government interventions at all levels are essential for the sector’s prosperity.
He explained that poultry farmers in the previous years have had problems purchasing maize, soya beans and other production inputs.
He said, “We have problems in input procurement, especially maize and soya.
“We would like to appreciate the Lagos State Government for their interventions last year concerning maize for feed milling. We also appeal to the Federal Government to fulfil its promise to provide substantial maize for poultry farmers.
“We hope to start seeing the maize intervention from the Federal Government will start rolling in.
“We believe 2024 will be a profitable year for poultry farmers with these interventions,”
FG should halt exports and smuggling of local grains
Additionally, Mr Godwin Egbebe, the National Publicity Secretary of PAN, urged the government to prevent the smuggling of local grains to neighbouring countries. He identified the high cost of grains as a primary challenge facing the poultry industry.
He requested a stop to the exports and smuggling of grains to neighbouring countries like Togo, Ghana and the Benin Republic.
He stated, “We want the government to put an end to the exportation/smuggling of our grains to neighbouring countries like Togo, Ghana and the Benin Republic.”
“We hope all these will be corrected this year. We need to be self-sufficient locally before we start exportation of our grains.
“We need bailouts for the sector this year, and these bailouts must be strategic.”
What you should know
The poultry industry has been bedevilled by a series of problems with the rise in feed cost being the most prominent. This is occasioned by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine which led to a reduction in the global supply.
This has led to the inflation in poultry products thereby stifling demand from the public. According to the NBS Food Price watch for November, the cost of beef increased by 29.61% between November 2023 and 2023. Also, the NBS noted that the price of medium-sized agric eggs increased by 50.01% year-on-year from November 2022 to 2023.
For maize, a critical component in poultry feed production, its prices increased by 76.01% from November 2022 to 2023 according to the NBS.
A recent report by Nairametrics on the prices of staple crops such as maize, millet, and cereals in West Africa is projected to increase above their 5-year average in 2024.
