Poultry farmers in Oyo State have called on the federal government to tackle the inclement business climate taking a heavy toll on their business.
Chairman of Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Oyo State chapter, Mr Omidokun Oyekunle, said in an interview earlier today (Wednesday, August 14) in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, that half of the poultry farmers in the state are currently out of business.
The chairman, who noted that poultry business contributes about 25 per cent to Nigeria’s GDP, said if the rate at which poultry business is collapsing is not checked, it might have a negative effect on the nation’s economy.
He, therefore, urged the federal and State governments to rise up to their challenges in order to bring back those already out of business and encourage others still in business, pointing out that the government could ameliorate the situation by providing soft loans to poultry farmers in the state at not more than five per cent interest rate, in addition to other interventions in terms of raw materials, especially maize and soya beans.
He identified one of the challenges confronting poultry farmers as the high cost of poultry feeds, especially maize and soya beans, both of which are major ingredients of poultry feeds.
According to him, the cost of maize is still expensive, in spite of the rainy season, adding that new maize is currently sold at between N650 and N700 per kg.
“Majority of poultry farmers are no longer using the new maize because of its moisture content; it will affect production and the eggs of the birds.
“What those who are using it do is that they grind it, spread it and wait for about five days and even add some preservatives, but the weather is not favourable,” he said.
The chairman said that most poultry farmers are now using old maize which could be bought at the rate of N850 per kg.
He, however, said that this has constituted a big challenge to poultry farmers because of the high production cost.
“This is a major problem confronting us, especially when you look at the production cost and the price at which we sell eggs.
“You will find out that there is not enough profit margin to keep the business running and that is why poultry farmers are closing down and cost of eggs increasing,” he agonized.
He added that importation of frozen chicken is greatly affecting the market price of locally raised chicken and this should not be allowed to continue in order to keep local chicken farmers in business.
Oyekunle commended the federal government for the window of importation of maize, adding that it would eventually help in lowering the cost of production and bring people back into the business.
“A 25kg of broiler feed is now sold for N25,600, which cannot feed more than 200 birds; that is our plight.
“However, with the window of importation recently granted by the government, the cost of production may come down,” he said. (NAN)
