Poultry farmers and other stakeholders in the animal husbandry sub-sector have called on the Federal Government to include its members in the supply of eggs in its Home-grown School Feeding Programme.
They made the appeal at the 2017 Annual poultry workshop organised by the Poultry Association of Nigeria, in conjunction with Animal Science Association of Nigeria, Oyo State branch and the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science.
Chairman, Oyo State Chapter, PAN, Mr. Banji Akanji, said that their was the need for government to patronise members of the association in order to reduce wastages and losses that usually resulted from unsold eggs in the market, on a
daily basis.
He said: “We have not been feeling the impact of government in the purchase of eggs in the Home Grown School Feeding Program.
“We want government to patronise us in supplying eggs; we want them to make it compulsory in the programme at primary school level that each pupil should be entitled to one egg per day because of the number of nutrients in
egg.
According to him, the country, and not the poultry sector alone has been bedeviled by the pestilence of economic melt-down, especially in terms of the devaluation of our currency and the lack of appropriate action towards re-boosting the economy.
More so, the incessant hike in prices and scarcity of raw materials, especially maize, have been issues of serious concern, which the industry is trying to resolve.
President, ASAN, Mr. Taiwo Adeoye, while soliciting government support for poultry farmers, decried the poor pricing of eggs in the country.
He noted that crates of eggs in the past were costlier than crates of soft drinks but that the reverse is now the case by which a crate of eggs is less than a thousand
naira.
He enjoined members of the association to take quality materials as the main focus in their day-to-day business.
Adeoye identified efficiency, excellent management and quality personnel as some of the ways the farmers could ensure optimum profit in this present economy.
While appealing to government to make patronising local farmers, most especially poultry farmers, compulsory, Adeoye informed that day in, day out, there are thousands of unsold eggs that are rotting away at the various markets due to low purchasing power of members of the public.
