27 November 2020 - The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has warned that if the government does not intervene in the high cost of grains and other challenges facing the sector, the poultry industry may shut down in January 2021 for an undetermined period.
Addressing the Nigerian media, the president of PAN, Ezekiel Ibrahim, explained that in the heart of the COVID-19 crisis and the lockdown, the poultry industry suffered big losses due to the restriction of movement of goods and services which include eggs, day-old chicks, poultry feed and other essential inputs for poultry production. This period also saw the closure of small and medium-sized poultry farms, threatening millions of jobs, especially in peri-urban and rural areas.
“Billions of naira were lost in sales of eggs and chicken resulting in the closure of many small and medium-sized poultry farms,” he said.
Corn, a primary grain used in Nigerian poultry feed, saw its prices rise from N95,000 per tonne to N165,000 per tonne in June 2020 alone. “Maize as of 26 November is selling between N145,000 – N160,000 per tonne compared to the price of N85,000 per tonne this time last year,” Ibrahim added.
Ibrahim said there is a feeling that there is a lack of investor confidence in the industry, and this will have devastating consequences for the entire value chain.
Also talking to the press, the Feed Industry Practitioners Association of Nigeria, (FIPAN), added that the continued export of corn and soybeans is endangering livestock farming in the country, stressing that if the trend is not checked many more poultry farms would close down.
FIPAN President Raymond Obiajulu said: "There is no rational for exporting soybean and maize when we don't even have enough. The government should therefore stop their exportation and expand grain reserves."