…accuses CBN of Withholding Maize allocated to it
The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has cried out to the federal government to save the Poultry sector from imminent collapse. The Association in a statement made available to Financialtrust.com.ng on Monday said at the moment, the poultry industry in Nigeria is on the verge of total collapse if urgent intervention is not channeled to it.
The statement signed jointly by the National President of PAN, Chief Sunday Ezeobiora and its Director General, Onallo Akpa, said the association was aware that the government has declared a State of Emergency on the Food Security situation of the country, but the situation of the Poultry industry calls for an urgent intervention to save the industry from total collapse.
According to the association, “The high surges of prices of Maize and the near absence or scarcity of the product is causing farmers to close down their poultry farms at the moment because it is no longer sustainable to feed the birds and be in business thereby threatening the further development of the Nigerian poultry industry.
“It will interest Nigerians to know that as part of the measures to ensure the food security of the nation through the supply of cheap protein to Nigerians, the poultry industry in the country have benefited from allocation of Maize from the Strategic Food Reserve (SFR) of the Federal Government as well as the Strategic Maize Reserve (SMR) Programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) anchored on the Accelerated Agriculture programmes of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).”
The association further states that in the current dispensation, the Poultry industry is being frustrated by the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX) and the Strategic Maize Reserve (SMR) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), alleging that PAN was allocated 40,000 Metric tons of Maize to assist poultry production in the country and in two weeks, they cancelled the allocation and stopped poultry farmers from lifting the Maize on the conditions best known to them. “This is majorly contributing to the high prices of Maize in the markets because they are holding down our stocks of Maize,” the association said.
“The Poultry industry in Nigeria is the most critical sub sector of Nigeria Agriculture, and allowing the industry to collapse on the watch of Nigerians in situations where there are visible immediate solutions will be a disaster to the industry and the Protein supply and nutrition security for the country.
“In view of the above and in order to salvage the Poultry industry from the imminent collapse it is witnessing, the leadership of the Poultry Association of Nigeria prays as follows:- That government directs both the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) which manages the Strategic Maize Reserve Programme (SMRP) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to FREE the allocations of 40,000 metric tons to the Poultry industry through the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN); That the Government should direct the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural to release 20,000 Metric Tons of Maize from the Strategic Food Reserves of the Ministry to the Poultry industry through the Poultry Association of Nigeria at discounted prices so as to mitigate the current challenges to the Poultry industry in the country; That the allocations by both organizations should be at the rate (price) per metric ton that the allocations were made understanding that these organizations are to intervene in critical sectors of the economy for developmental purposes and not merchandise; The Poultry industry is the low hanging fruit to achieve the overall objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals ( SDG), and providing employments while producing affordable home grown proteins to Nigerians; since the poultry industry is the most capitalised subsector of the Nigerian Agriculture, every effort and support should be given to the subsector so that the industry do not collapse and the country once more becoming dumping grounds for all sorts of poultry and poultry products from abroad.”
It recalled the support of the government to the continued development of the Nigerian Poultry Industry especially in maintaining the import restriction policy on frozen chicken into Nigeria in addition to other supports that the various governments have rendered to the industry.
“As a result of the import restriction, the local Poultry industry has been able to develop with the positive multiplier effects of adequate protein supply, creation of employment opportunities and wealth for Nigerians,” it said adding,. “In all, the Poultry Industry has been able to contribute about 25 percent to the Agricultural Gross Domestic Products (AGDP) of our national economy.
“The industry provides about 25 million direct and indirect employment to Nigerians, and is a major source of protein supply to Nigerians thereby sustaining the good health and livelihood of many Nigerians.