Full Details: Press Conference Held By SOUTHWEST PAN Over The Lingering EGG GLUT
A PRESS RELEASE DELIVERED BY REV. OLULEYE GIDEON PAN CHAIRMAN, SOUTH WEST ZONE AT THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS CONFERENCE HELD ON 20TH APRIL, 2023 AT N.U.J PRESS CENTRE, IYAGANKUN, IBADAN
Learn MoreThe National Executives of Poultry Association of Nigeria, The State Chairmen and Members of the South West Executives of Poultry Association of Nigeria South West Zone, the Chairman Nigeria Union of Journalist, Oyo State, other members of the press here present and Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is with great pleasure do we welcome you all to this press conference organized by Poultry Association of Nigeria South West Zone. The call for this Press Conference was born out of the need to make the Federal and State Governments, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Authority of dawn commission and the whole world know about the crisis the poultry farmers in the South West and the entire country are facing due to the financial crisis brought about by the Federal Governments Policies of naira redesign.
This policy of C.B.N has brought about untold hardship on our farmers and the investments on their farms.
We the farmers are not against this policy, but its timing and implementation strategy has brought untold hardship on farmers. We want to let the Government know that losses incurred by farmers are heavy and crushing. A lot of farms have collapsed, others are running at half capacity while many others will soon close down, if the government does not come to the aid of poultry farmers. Let me remind you that the negative impact that Covid’19 had on farmers and farms is yet to abate. Hardly had farmers recover from this, when the C.B.N brought another hardship on the farmers through the policy of naira redesign. As we speak now between 15 – 20million crates of eggs are in the economy looking for buyers.
In order to save the poultry subsector of the economy, generating about 6% of the G.D.P from total collapse, the Federal and State Governments, the Central Bank of Nigeria and all other agencies of government concerned, must rise up and intervene in this subsector of the economy. The intervention should come in the following areas;
Mopping up of about 15 – 20 million crates of eggs and chicken unsold in the economy right now to ameliorate the losses of the farmers. These products should be used in feeding the people in I.D.P’s and all our correctional centres all over the country. Some could also be used in government hospital where meals are served as eggs helps in quick recovery and in building up immunity of sick patients.
We also want the Federal Government as a matter of urgency to resuscitate the school feeding programme as eggs and chicken meat forms the major component of the programme. This will go a long way in absolving some of the eggs and chicken meat from the farmers.
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We are also pleading with the Federal, States and the Central Bank of Nigeria to intervene now in subsidizing major imputes particularly maize and soya much more than they have been doing before. This will also help in ameliorating the negative impact of the naira redesign policy of the government on the farmers.
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We also want to use this medium to appeal to the international grants and donor agencies like; IFAD, N.G cares, World Bank, Private Financial Advisory Network (PFAN) etc to come to the aid of poultry farmers in Nigeria and particularly South West region, with grants and financial aid to poultry farmers, as the poultry sector has already been devastated by Covid’19 and the policy of naira redesign to the extent that over 25million Nigerians employed in the sector may loose their jobs very soon.
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The Federal and State Governments should also embark on strategic investments in the poultry subsector of the economy. Some of such strategic investments are setting up of egg powder processing factory at least one in each geopolitical region of the country, establishment of large chicken processing facilities of international standard where chicken meat can be processed for export to other countries. This will inturn generate foreign exchange for the country.
A lot of farmers are running on loan and as a result of this crisis, they could not meet their loan obligation any more. We want the C.B.N and the Federal Government to help in defraying part of the loan and in some cases out right cancellation of the loan. This will enable farmers to recover and save the sector from collapsing.
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As an emergency measure, let the federal government constitute a committee that will begin the process of mopping up all unsold eggs and chicken meat due to naira redesign policies as these eggs are already going bad. A situation where a single farmer has a hundred thousand crates of eggs unsold in the farm now, the value of which is over two hundred million. Mopping up this eggs and chicken meat now, will be a good measure in preventing the sector from imminent collapse.
Thank you and God bless.
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