Following the removal of forex ban on the importation of poultry products and 42 other items, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned against opening Nigerian boarder for importation of the product into Nigeria.
Obasanjo, who was the grand patron of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) while speaking virtually at the second summit of the association yesterday in Abuja, harped on the need for government to support the industry and not open the market for others to dump their poultry products in the country.
Obasanjo said: “When you talk of poverty eradication, wealth creation or employment generation, poultry is one of the best that you can go into either at Small, Medium or large resources level, moreso, the market is at the door step.
“When the poultry industry is thriving, it will trickle down the value chain including maize and soybean farmers and pharmaceutical companies producing drugs for the birds will also benefit.”
The former Head of State stressed the need for the government and private sector to pay attention to the poultry industry given its importance to provide job opportunities, food and nutrition security.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Sabi Abdullahi, in his remarks, revealed that the per capita poultry consumption is 1.75 kg which falls below the 6.2 kg Africa average, adding that the annual consumption of poultry meat in Nigeria is put at 1,500,000 MT and production output is just about 55 per cent of consumption, estimated at 826,902.42 MT.
This he said, has left a huge deficit of 45 per cent, which is about 675,000 MT. He lamented that the deficit was unfortunately met through smuggling of poultry and poultry products which most of the times, are unwholesome, with its attendant negative effects on the citizen, industry and the economy.
