The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has said that 30 per cent reduction in the smuggling of poultry products into the country would create 3.5 million jobs within the next 12-months.
The National President of the association, Dr Ayoola Oduntan, made this known at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said the poultry industry was being serviced by multiple industries; adding that in production of animal protein, maize, palm kernel, limestone, soybeans were needed to grow the birds.
“All these industries contribute to the poultry industry; maize for instance, the poultry industry consumes two million tonnes per annum.
“A 30 per cent reduction in smuggling will require additional two million tonnes to be produced by 500,000 farmers.
“Potentially, a 30 per cent reduction in smuggling will create 3.5 million jobs in the maize industry alone in the next 12 months.
“These exclude the jobs in soybean, palm kernel industries and in the transportation sector,” he said.
According to Oduntan, Nigeria’s total poultry consumption is put at 1.5 million tonnes per annum.
He said 300,000 tonnes is produced locally and the difference of about 1.2 million tonnes valued at three billion dollars comes in illegally.
He said some distinguished scholars from Nigerian universities conducted a study and discovered that high toxic chemicals are used to preserve smuggled chickens.
The president said they also discovered high level of bacteria in smuggled chickens as the smugglers could not sustain the cooling chain.
According to him, this is largely responsible for kidney diseases, cancer and other food borne diseases like typhoid.
He said consumption of smuggled poultry products should be discouraged at either family or public level as it could lead to serious health hazards.