Stakeholders Want Subsidy On Poutry Feeds’ Raw Materials

Stakeholders in the ag
riculture sector have urged the Federal Government to subsidise the cost of raw materials used in poultry feeds production to boost local supply.
The stakeholders made the call in Awka, at a one-day workshop organised for poultry farmers by Amo Byng Nigeria Limited.
The Assistant General Manager, Amo Byng Nig. Ltd, Mr Akinwunmi Sokehinsi, attributed the capital-intensive nature of poultry business, to the high cost of raw materials.
He listed some of the raw materials to include maize and soya beans.
“The federal government should grant subsidy on raw materials like maize, which currently sells at N60, 000 per ton, but can be purchased at N45, 000.
“Also, soya beans, which sell at N115, 000 per ton, should be purchased at N70, 000,” he said.
Sokehinsi urged the federal government to introduce other measures that would ensure constant availability of the raw materials.
He said that the federal government could purchase the grains in high quantity and provide enough storage facilities.
The Proprietor of the African Young Farmers Club, Mrs Bridget Obi, said there were sufficient poultry farmers in the country to supply the poultry needs of the populace.
Obi urged the federal government to introduce necessary policies, such as placing a ban on the importation of chicken and turkey, to encourage stakeholders in the business.
Another poultry farmer, Mr Ndudi Onwumelu, also appealed to the federal government, to introduce measures in the industry to encourage farmers and boost their out-put.
“People are passionate about the poultry business, but there is need for knowledge and government’s intervention,” he said.
Onwumelu said government should as a first step, provide grants to farmers to stabilize their businesses, before providing credit facility or loans.
Earlier, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Chief Nnamdi Mekoh, while declaring the workshop open, said the state government had embarked on various programmes to boost agriculture in the state.
He said that Gov. Willie Obiano’s administration had declared that agriculture would be one of its key areas of development, particularly the mechanised agriculture.