The Feed Industry Practitioners Association of Nigeria (FIPAN), has raised alarm over the ongoing scarcity and hike in prices of livestock grains in the country.
To this end, the group warned Nigerians to brace up for continued increments in the prices of livestock animals in the country till festive period.
FIPAN disclosed that there would be a potential increase in unemployment if the industry were to collapse, as it currently contributes approximately 45 per cent of the nation’s labour force.
Specifically, FIPAN asserted that it is time the government opened up the country’s borders to allow importation of grains, especially maize and soya bean, and that if not, the prices of livestock animals would continue to skyrocket, with common man not being able to buy them for consumption.
Similarly, the association called on the federal government to stop the exports of grains and soya bean out of the country in order to concentrate on the domestic market to feed livestock animals.
The president of FIPAN, Raymond Isidinaso, who made this known in an interview in Lagos, stated that livestock feed millers are at cross roads over the bloated prices of livestock feed which is pushing many of its members out of business amidst unprecedented repercussions.
Amidst this, Isidinaso explained that the multiplier effects of the livestock feed has put the future of the poultry industry in Nigeria in an uncertain situation.
He, however, warned that many poultry firms may soon close shops unless the federal government intervenes in the hardships its members are facing currently and allow importation of grains into the country to salvage the precarious poultry sector.
According to him, the soaring prices of eggs, chicken, fish, and other poultry products are largely attributed to the scarcity of maize and soya bean, adding that these two ingredients are essential in the production of poultry feed, and their shortage has resulted in increased costs.
The FIPAN president emphasised that there would soon be a scarcity of eggs, chicken, and other livestock due to the unavailability and rising cost of maize and soya beans, which are crucial for livestock feed production.
In order to correct the malaise, he called on the government for immediate intervention by releasing grains from the nation’s reserve in order to alleviate the challenges faced by the industry.
