Federal Government don announce fresh measures to strengthen monitoring of poultry import allocations and ensure operators fully utilise approvals given to dem, as part of efforts to end shortages of day-old chicks and boost poultry production across Nigeria.
The move follow growing concerns over the failure of some industry operators to make full use of approved import quotas, a situation wey don contribute to shortage of day-old chicks, rising production costs and challenges for poultry farmers nationwide.
Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, make the announcement during a meeting with the Managing Director of Valentine Chickens, Leon Gunter, and the company’s National Operations Manager, Samuel Adediji.
According to the minister, government interventions in the poultry sector must produce visible results for farmers, consumers and the economy.
“This matter no be only about business. E concern food security, job creation and the livelihood of millions of Nigerians. Government support must lead to more production and better access for poultry farmers,” he talk.
Maiha reveal say industry assessments show that many approved poultry allocations remain underutilised, creating supply gaps and contributing to the continuous increase in the cost of day-old chicks.
He stress say government’s objective na to ensure that every policy support translates into increased production, reduced barriers for farmers, affordable poultry products and sustainable growth for the industry.
The minister also warn say future import allocations go be closely monitored and linked directly to the performance of beneficiaries.
$5.6 Million Investment to Boost Local Production
As part of efforts to strengthen local poultry production, Valentine Chickens present plans for a $5.6 million investment project aimed at developing grandparent stock production facilities in Nigeria.
The project, wey dey in partnership with global poultry genetics company Aviagen, go include specialised breeding centres and advanced biosecurity systems designed to reduce dependence on imported parent stock.
Leon Gunter explain say the initiative go help Nigeria build long-term genetic capacity and increase local poultry production significantly.
“This no be just about importing chicks. Na about importing genetic capacity wey fit multiply into millions of locally produced birds and strengthen the poultry industry for years to come,” he said.
According to projections, annual importation of 116,800 grandparent breeding chicks under the programme fit produce about 2 million parent stock females, leading to over 273 million commercial broiler chickens and about 378,000 tonnes of chicken meat every year.
Ministry to Launch National Poultry Tracking Database
To improve transparency and accountability, the Ministry of Livestock Development also announce plans to establish a centralised national database that will track every imported grandparent stock (GPS) and parent stock (PS) egg and chick entering the country.
Officials say the new system go help remove barriers facing smallholder poultry farmers, increase local poultry consumption and ensure that local production meets the growing demand for affordable poultry products across Nigeria.
The government maintain say the reforms form part of broader efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s poultry value chain, improve food security and create more opportunities within the livestock sector.
