The PAN DG said this during a press conference held recently to mark World Egg Day in Abuja.

Dr. Akpa lamented that in the past, the Federal Government used to come to the aid of the farmers with grains and soya beans from the strategic grains reserves, but that it was no longer coming.

He said since the Federal Government concessioned the Strategic Grains Reserves, it had nothing in the system to support the farmers as it did in the past.

The DG stressed that with the current cost of soya beans and maize, it was practically difficult for the farmers in the industry to make any gain, which informed the rising cost of eggs in the market.

“The cost of soya beans in the last five years, from our statistics, went up from N30,000 per tonne to presently over N170,000 per tonne. This increase is too astronomical; the same thing for maize. 10 years back, maize was between N20,000 to N30,000 per tonne, today maize goes for N100,000 to 120,000 per tonne  and the cost of producing eggs or poultry meat is dependent on grains and the cost of production determines the selling price,” he said.

Earlier, the President of PAN, Mr. Ezekiel Ibrahim, whose address was read by the DG, reiterated that the poultry industry in Nigeria had the potential to generate about N620bn if 50 per cent of Nigerians consumed an egg a day.

He added that with the consumption rate of 50 per cent, the industry could generate the daily economic value of about N1.7bn thereby contributing 25 per cent of agriculture GDP.

Source: Daily Trust