The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) Oyo state chapter yesterday 11th August, 2020 held a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalist centre, Oyo state; to call on the President of Nigeria, His excellency, Mohammed Buhari and the Governor of Oyo state, His excellency, Engr. Oluwaseyi Makinde on matters pertaining to the Nigeria poultry industry, which is now on the brink of a dangerous precipice.
The press conference was essential due to the ban placed on maize importation and the threat posed by this ban. The current situation if not attended to may cause the industry to lose about a trillion Naira annually and not less than a million loss of jobs said the Chairman.
The Poultry Association of Nigeria, Oyo state chapter headed by the Chairman; Mr Agboola Gbemisoye hereby call on the government to help salvage the largest agricultural value chain.
In attendance were various stakeholders of the industry which includes the Animal Science Association of Nigeria (ASAN), Nigeria Association of Animal Health and Husbandry Technologists (NAAHHT), Day Old Chicks Merchants Association of Nigeria (DOCMAN), Livestock Industry Foundation for Africa (LIFA), Feed Millers Association of Nigeria, and Kwara State chapter of PAN.
The founder and president of LIFA; Dr Stephen Adejoro pleaded his advocacy for the short fall of maize importation. Dr Stephen Adejoro in a two-minute video said:
“There have been a perennial shortage of maize in this country over the years. We have not been producing more than 8 to 10 million tons per annum. There is always a short gap at this period and government has always allowed this short gap-importation of maize to Savage the industry.
The quality of Nigeria maize is high in starch such that about 100,000 tons of maize are smuggled out of Nigeria every year to Niger and Chad republic because of the glucose content of our maize.
If this exportation is still going on, there is no way we can meet our demand locally now. Our concern as an NGO is that this is the wrong time to ban importation, “Why”? Because we have identified egg as one of the primary solution to the mitigation of Covid-19.
If there is no medicine for Covid-19 and we have found out that because of the nature of chicken that God gave them when they are exposed to infection, they go to store the antibody in their yolk, because of their offspring that is coming so that they don’t experience the hazard. This same antibody is what we need.
This is the time government should make egg available to be distributed to the vulnerable, to increase our immunity as this is what an average man needs to increase immunity.
This is not the right time and this is what we are preaching to the government should please because of the vulnerable, allow maize to be brought in, so that people can have access to egg and be resistant to Covid-19. This is our position”
You can watch the full video via this link https://tinyurl.com/yyha2qox
LIFA is with the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) at this bearish moment of her business
