AFAN: Poultry Business at Lowest Ebb, Over 60% Poultry Farms Out of Business
Gilbert Ekugbe
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has lamented that poultry business is currently at its lowest ebb with the closure of over 60 per cent of poultry farms in the country due the rising cost of poultry feed.
In a telephone interview with THISDAY, the National President of AFAN, Mr. Kabir Ibrahim, explained that there is an obvious nexus between the price hike in poultry feed and poultry production, which he said would definitely make poultry products expensive and not readily affordable by the majority of Nigerians.
THISDAY had reported that poultry feed had risen by at least 168 per cent in the last three years in the midst of persistent rise in the prices of feed ingredients such as maize and soya.
Ibrahim said: “At the moment, one can safely say that poultry business is at its lowest ebb with so many poultry farms folding up. The recommendation that every person should consume at least an egg a day for maximum mental development is not achievable due to escalating prices and scarcity. Poultry that is supposed to be the cheapest source of protein is now a luxury to most Nigerians.”
According to him, the current skyrocketing price of feed is making poultry a very difficult business proposition even though it is supposed to have the fastest asset conversion rate.
He added that “as a matter of fact one can safely say that poultry business today is collapsing, unfortunately.
“We should make a special arrangement for feed grade energy and protein components of poultry feed instead of the competition now going on between large and small ruminants as well as direct human consumption.”
He pointed out that the statistics of poultry farmers who are no longer in production may not be available but stressed that over 60 per cent of poultry farms have folded up.
On his part, the Special Adviser, Agriculture Rice Mill Initiative, Dr. Oluwarotimi Fashola, said that the recent hike in price of poultry feeds might not be unconnected to the fact that Nigeria does not have enough quantity of maize in the country, saying that soya bean is also imported to a large extent, pointing out the need for Nigeria to grow more maize by expanding the cultivation and the yield.
The Focal Person, Strategic Delivery Team, Nigeria SAPZ Programme, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Mr. Richard-Mark Mbaram, said that the increase of poultry feeds would happen in the light of the crop failures due to insecurity and the global inflationary trends, advising the need for the nation to ramp up productivity and deliberate industrialisation through emphasis on infrastructure provision.
