Feeds Scarcity: 25m Jobs At Stake As Poultry Industry Faces Collapse

High cost of maize prices and the scarcity of the product is currently pursuing farmers to close down their poultry farms due to inability  to feed the birds and sustain businesses.

Maize is one of the primary ingredients used in the production of feed for the birds.

This development at the moment is threatening  further development of the Nigerian poultry industry, putting over 25 million jobs in the value chain at stake.

This negative economic outlook was contained in a statement issued by the leadership of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN ) in Abuja yesterday.

PAN in the statement jointly signed by its director-general, Dr Onallo Akpa and the national president, Sunday Ezeobiora, accused the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN ) for frustrating developments in the sector.

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Although the association acknowledged  recent government efforts especially the import restriction of frozen chicken which saw  positive multiplier effects on the growth of the sector, it however said in the current dispensation and scheme of things, the poultry industry is being frustrated by the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX) and the Strategic Maize Reserve (SMR) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

According to them, the CBN had  cancelled the allocation of 40,000 metric tons of maize to assist poultry production in the country and stopped poultry farmers from lifting the maize, the development which is majorly contributing to the high prices of maize in the markets.

“At the moment, the poultry industry in Nigeria is on the verge of total collapse if urgent intervention is not channelled to it without further delays, we are aware that the government have declared a State of Emergency on the food security situation of the country, but the situation of the poultry industry calls for an urgent intervention to save the industry from total collapse.

Inorder to salvage the poultry industry from the imminent collapse it is witnessing, the leadership of the Poultry Association of Nigeria prays as follows; directing both the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) which manages the Strategic Maize Reserve Programme (SMRP) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to FREE the allocations of 40,000 metric tons to the Poultry industry through the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN)”, the statement reads in parts.

“That the Government should direct the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural to release 20,000 Metric Tons of Maize from the Strategic Food Reserves of the Ministry to the Poultry industry through the Poultry Association of Nigeria at  discounted prices so as to mitigate the current challenges to the Poultry industry in the country.

That the allocations by both organizations should be at the rate (price) per metric ton that the allocations were made understanding that these organisations are to intervene in critical sectors of the economy for developmental purposes and not merchandise”, PAN added.

The association further stressed that the poultry industry is the low hanging fruit to achieve the overall objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and providing employment while  producing  affordable home grown proteins to  Nigerians and therefore every effort and support should be given to the subsector to prevent it from collapse.