Agriculture
Product Adulteration Worries Poultry Union
The Poultry Association
of Nigeria (PAN) has lamented the rate of adutration of products of popular brands in the industry by some unscrupulous business persons.
In a statement signed by the Director General of PAN, Mr Onello Akpa and made available to our correspondent he said the activities of the crooks has crept into the Nigerian Poultry Firms that are producing frozen chicken, day-old chicks and table eggs.
The latest victim according to the release from the association is Amo Farm Sieberer Hatchery Nigeria Limited formerly known as Amo Fars Sanders Hatchery Limited.
Their mode of operations according to investigations is to print alleged fake cartons bearing Amo Farm Sieberer to sell their own unhealthy day-old chicks hatched from their illegal hatcheries in and around Oyo state which they bring to the popular day-old chick market at Oluyole, Ibadan twice a week in waste fake cartons.
It was reported that some customers who had fallen victim for the pranks of these fraudsters at Awe town have been keeping tabs on the nefarious activities of these accused until recently when security agents were alerted which moved in to arresting some of the perpetrators.
Though those arrested have been released on bail while investigation was ongoing, PAN said as the search goes on, the level of complicity of the accused persons would be ascertained and appropriate action taken.
The DG commended the security agents on the action taken so far to get other culprits who are sabotaging efforts of companies that have put much to maintain their brands.
Akpa appealed to the federal government to protect genuine poultry farmers from these crooked people preying on the hard work of genuine farmers across the country.
He also encouraged farmers to always make extra effort to buy only from accreditated distributors and agents of registered hatcheries, adding that failure to do so would result in the purchase of poorly produce day-old chicks which will not lay or grow properly and experience high mortality causing them to waste money and give the poultry business a bad name.
Federal Government and the Ogun State Government, on Wednesday, distributed farm inputs to farmers as part of effort to address food security challenge.
The State Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Toyin Ayo-Ajayi, during the flag-off ceremony of Inputs Redemption Under The National Agricultural Growth Scheme-Agro Pocket (NAGS-AP), in Ogun State, disclosed that beneficiaries of the gesture were primarily rice, maize and cassava farmers across the State.
Ayo-Ajayi commended the Ogun State Government for partnering with the government at the centre for the effort in supporting farmers with inputs that would bring about yieldings for local consumption and likely exportation.
She noted that government is supporting rice, cassava and maize farmers with inputs worth N212,000; N189,000 and N186,000 respectively.
The Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Kehinde Jokotoye, who represented the Commissioner in the Ministry, Bolu Owotomo, stated that traditional farmers are critical in food production, hence the need to encourage and support them with inputs that would bring about desired results during harvesting.
Owotomo said: “Let us make good use of this opportunity, so that the success of this phase will make farmers benefit more from the state and federal governments of Nigeria.”
Earlier, State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Oluwatoyin Ayo-Ajayi, appreciated the present administration for partnering with the federal government for the initiative, adding that the programme is designed to support farmers at the grassroots level in cassava, rice and maize with inputs such as, seeds, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, to boost their production and enhance their livelihood.