‘Only govt intervention can rescue poultry industry’
02 April 2023 |
4:11 am
There seems to be no respite yet for the poultry industry, as farmers across the country have continued to count their losses due to the impact of the naira redesign policy.
There seems to be no respite yet for the poultry industry, as farmers across the country have continued to count their losses due to the impact of the naira redesign policy.
As of March 15, 2023, the farmers have lost over 15 million crates of eggs, being unsold and damaged, amounting to over N30b and according to the Director-General of the Poultry Association of Nigeria, Dr Onallo Akpa, who disclosed that the situation of the cash supply into the system has improved, confirmed to The Guardian at the weekend that, “our people still encounter lots of losses till today.”
Akpa noted that there’s no how the Federal Government can compensate the farmers for the huge losses, instead, government should mop up the eggs through the association for distribution to the most vulnerable old populations as part of the social investment support to Nigerians.
Akpa said: “It is a continuous loss, after that, the situation of the cash supply into the system has improved, our people still encounter lots of losses till today. So, for us to now say the total loss suffered in terms of monetary value will amount to jumping into a conclusion.
“What we have been saying is that there’s no how the government can compensate for that losses, it is never possible because who do you compensate? And who do you make a recompense for? So, we are now saying this is the situation, this is the loss, what do you do to assuage the loss further? In doing that, we are appealing to government to intervene in mopping the eggs and chickens.
“The government has good intention, we have been fighting, we have been talking, the government is listening but the fundamental thing is this, government is not going to call the leaders of our association that it is intervening, government should intervene through the ministries either their line ministries or affiliated ministries.
“Why don’t you tell organs of government like National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA), the Nigerian Prison Service, the Ministry of Health, various peacekeeping operations and primary schools under the school feeding programme to mop up the eggs and chickens? If we say come and compensate us, what criteria are going to be used?”
The Director–General said the industry is one of the most consolidated sub-sectors of Nigeria’s agriculture sector, contributing about 25 per cent of the agricultural Gross Domestic Product and employing over 25 million Nigerians directly and indirectly.
He added that over the years, the poultry industry has been a major employer of labour and a great source of financial empowerment and livelihood for many families, especially women and youths, adding that the industry is completely private sector driven, worth N3tr.
Akpa said the industry has been able to contribute to the local domestication of investments in the country, lamenting that currently, the industry is on the verge of collapse and extermination because of the negative and devastating consequences of the currency swap on the sector.
While citing the case of the Canadian poultry industry where a similar incident happened, Akpa said: “in other climes where similar things happened, we had it in the Canadian poultry industry, there is something called the Poultry and Eggs Farms Investment Programme, what this means is to set aside some specific amount of money and tell the farmers to bid. The objective of the farmers bidding is to increase efficiency and productivity, improving biosecurity, and improving environmental sustainability.
“What we are saying is that the President has just signed an Act establishing the Nigeria Agricultural Development Fund, if the line ministries are not ready to deal with the private sector that are driving the economy, appoint an executive secretary or a Director General for the Nigeria Agricultural Development Fund where most us in the private sector can contribute ideas. If government says I am going to release fund, we may not know how this fund is being spent. So, we are not saying come and compensate farmers, but in order to be able to assuage or mitigate against further losses, why don’t you tell organs of government to mop up the eggs and chickens.”
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