The Poultry Association of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, has announced that farmers are no longer shutting down due to a reduction in the cost of raw materials, following various interventions by the government.
PAN Lagos State Chairman, Mr Mojeed Iyiola, revealed this development in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Lagos.
Iyiola attributed the positive change to the drop in the cost of raw materials for feed production.
He also praised the government’s efforts in ensuring the price reduction of poultry raw materials through its numerous interventions and subsidies.
To a large extent, the majority of poultry farmers have remained in business and are doing quite well, which has encouraged many to continue in the trade,” he said.
The government has played a pivotal role in the price drop of raw materials with its various interventions and subsidies.
For example, instead of purchasing 25 kg of layers mash at N19,000, poultry farmers were subsidised by the government to pay N14,250, with the balance covered by the farmers.
Although the intervention has temporarily stopped, it will resume as promised, and it has really provided relief to poultry farmers in terms of production costs.
Iyiola further expressed satisfaction that most poultry farmers are no longer shutting down their farms due to high operational costs.
He also highlighted the impact of government intervention for crop farmers, including subsidised seedlings and free tractor services, which contributed to the reduction in raw material prices for poultry.
It looks promising for the sector with these favourable government policies, which are advantageous to farmers across all sectors,” Iyiola said.
We are pleased to see a considerable drop in the number of poultry farmers closing their businesses this year. As an association, we are encouraging our farmers to stay in business as better days are ahead.
He added that as part of their efforts to sustain poultry farming, the association is working with the government to ensure price stability for raw materials.
Some major raw materials, like maize, soya, and groundnut cake, have actually dropped in price. That’s why we are encouraging our members to reduce their prices as well, so that the benefits of the raw material price reduction will reflect in the final product, which many of us have already done,” Iyiola concluded.
