Expert Urges FG To Subsidise Egg Dryers

The Head of Agricul
ture Department, Lagos State Polytechnic, Mr Olawale Bankole, has urged the Federal Government to subsidise egg tray dryers to enhance the production of powdered egg.
Bankole, who made the call in an interview with newsmen  in Lagos on Thursday said that there was usually egg glut at the beginning of every year.
The lecturer said that the cost of acquiring the machine was expensive and would need government’s support, in terms of subsidy for poultry farmers to acquire it.
“It is just this year that we have not noticed any glut, because of the bird flu.
“ By this time of every year, we normally have egg glut, where farmers will be looking for people to come and buy eggs.
“Usually, farmers will need money to run the farm using sales of eggs to feed the birds.
“If we have what they call egg tray dryer, then the eggs can be converted to egg powder, and when those eggs are converted to powder, it will reduce the excesses we have.
“The initial cost of the machine is expensive; and for government, it is not something that is expensive; with N3 million, you will have it.
“It is the enlightenment of the government to appreciate the processing of our products that is required,’’ he said.
Bankole also harped on the need to develop the country’s production and processing of cocoa into chocolate.
“You can imagine when we harvest cocoa here, we sell it to processing countries at N20, they bring back as chocolate at N50, who is gaining and who is losing?
“We are supposed to make the profit, but because we do not process, we give it to them and those people who are processing are making extra money at our expense,’’ Bankole said.
He said that the country’s major problem was processing.