South West Poultry Farmers Seek FG’s Intervention

The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) in South West zone has lamented the plight of members, stating that the naira redesign recently introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had brought untold hardship on them and the investments on their farms.
The association expressed worries over the loss of members, saying they needed urgent intervention from the federal government and other critical stakeholders.
The association’s chairman in the South West, Reverend Gideon Oluleye, while addressing journalists in Ibadan on Thursday, said various policies of the federal government and the CBN have affected members of the association negatively.
Oluleye, flanked by members of the association, lamented that policies such as Naira redesign and the increment in interest rate have greatly affected the industry negatively.
He noted that it was imperative to make the federal and state governments, the CBN, the Authority of DAWN Commission and the whole world know about the crisis the poultry farmers in the South West and the entire country are facing due to the financial crisis brought about by the federal government’s policies of naira redesign.
Oluleye appealed to the Federal Government to support the association with bailout funds, subsidies and other financial support.
He advised the FG to re-introduce the school feeding programme so as to absolve some of the eggs and chicken meat from the farmers.
Oluleye added that there should be intervention by subsidizing major farm inputs, particularly, maize and soya, explaining that doing so will help in ameliorating the negative impacts of the Naira redesign policy of the government on the farmers.
Oluleye said, “We the farmers are not against this policy, but its timing and implementation strategy has brought untold hardship on farmers. We want to let the Government know that losses incurred by farmers are heavy and crushing.
“A lot of farms have collapsed, others are running at half capacity while many others will soon close down, if the government does not come to the aid of poultry farmers. ‘’
“In order to save the poultry subsector of the economy, generating about 6% of the GDP from total collapse, the federal and state governments, the Central Bank of Nigeria and all other agencies of government concerned, must rise up and intervene in this subsector of the economy. The intervention should come in the following areas.
“Mopping up of about 15-20 million crates of eggs and chicken unsold in the economy right now to ameliorate the losses of the farmers.
These products should be used in feeding the people in IDP camps and all our correctional centres all over the country