The Lagos Chapter of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has warned that Nigeria may likely witness 10% job losses if the immediate problems facing the sector including the rising cost of feeds are not addressed by the federal government.
This was disclosed by PAN’s Lagos chapter Chairman, Mr Godwin Egbebe, in Lagos on Thursday, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
READ: Leaked letter by Poultry Farmers Association triggered CBN emergency approval to import maize
What the Association is saying about Poultry feed
“If the growing price of poultry feed and a host of other challenges in the sector continue, 10% of Nigerians may lose their jobs as poultry farmers continue to shut down across the country.
The situation on ground is that the poultry sector is actually at risk because of the growing prices of poultry feed.
The situation has made a lot of poultry farmers to close shop because of the problems in the sector.
Mr Egegbe added that some farmers have called it quits and have started advertising to sell their cages off because they want to close their businesses, he urged the FG to take the problems in the poultry sector very serious.
READ: It Cost Nigeria N660 Billion To Import Frozen Chicken
“It is like they are not taking us serious the way they take the problems in the cattle sector,” he said.
“The kind of employment that the poultry sector gives to Nigeria, the cattle sector cannot give such but the government is not taking the poultry sector serious.
We want the government to do all they can to intervene in the sector so that these poultry farms do not become grounded.
This is because if they do, about 10% of the population will lose their jobs.
He stated that prices cannot keep rising as customers were barely managing to buy poultry products because of the current high prices leading to an egg glut in the market.
READ: Poultry industry saves N50 billion due to border closure
What you should know
In a bid to support poultry farmers in Nigeria, Nairametrics reported last month that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), moved to crash the price of maize as it has approved the release of 50,000 metric tonnes of maize to 12 major producers, from the strategic maize reserve (SMR) under its Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP).
The apex bank said that the release was to enable moderation and price control in the Nigerian market adding that the action, the third of such releases to the companies, was intended to check activities of middlemen that cause hoarding and artificial scarcity.
