ibironkeeniola 
The government at all levels has been charged to revitalise the poultry sub-sector and explore the potentials embedded in the industry, as it fast-tracks its mantra of economic diversification.
Chairman of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) Oyo state chapter, Mr. Gbemisoye Agboola in a chat with AgroNigeria, disclosed that the government has failed to back the poultry industry due to the belief that the sector is heralded by big players.
Faulting this, Agboola called on the government to support the local poultry players, as it was foreign hatchery firms who had dominated the industry due to the favourable credit facilities they enjoy from their countries of origin.
To effectively rebrand the sector, the chairman urged the government to support farmers with loan facilities, and ease the processes involved in accessing facilities from the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP), most especially in Southern Nigeria.
Agboola also pointed to the fact that domineering countries in the sector are already upscaling Egg Powder Production, with the product in high demand in beverages and food processing industries.
Sadly, Nigeria spends billions of dollars in importing egg powders – a product which she has the capacity to upheave. The PAN Chairman, however, identified that the trend had to be halted to push the sector post-COVID-19.
On the leeway, Agboola called for a Public-Private Partnership to drive the establishment of egg powder production plants across the country.
“Government and the private sector should collaborate to establish egg powder production plants, so as to save the losses incurred by farmers during egg glut, and also increase production, for industrial uses.
“The egg powder production plants will save our country the huge foreign currency being spent annually on its importation. The egg powder production plants will create sizeable jobs, and also be a source of internal revenue generation for governments.
“Egg powders can also be exported to neighboring countries, who also consume the eggs produced from our country,” the chairman proffered.
The poultry don further revealed that asides egg production, the poultry industry was also packed with enough economic potentials such as the production and processing of meat [chickens and turkeys].
He said some facets of the poultry industry had remained untapped, including the feeds and fertilizer industry, which played an intrinsic role in the development of poultry.
The chairman further advised that to boost agriculture in Nigeria, practising commodity farmers must be entrenched into various agricultural committees, as bespoke policies were vital to the growth of the sector.
With the effect of COVID-19 impacting most Nigerians, poultry farmers have been unable to sell off their products, with egg producers battling egg gluts and deaths of poultry animals.
Agboola finally implored the government and civil organizations to assist these farmers by buying off their products and adding them to the palliatives distributed to citizens across the country.
SOURCE: AGRONIGERIA