Does the Federal Government Know That Poultry Farms Are Closing Down?

By Anayo Nwosu

I was alarmed when my close relative who had gone full-time into poultry farming with an average of over 1,250 birds called on new year day to tell me that he was winding up.

He was done with poultry farming.

The man in fact, gifted me 5 chicken as a Christmas present.

Days after enjoy the chicken delicacy, I would then learn that the chicken gift was the last live birds  in his pen. He had programmed his winding up to happen after Christmas.

Mazi Akuenwebe is a diligent man and has never been associated with frivolities. He is also a man of few words. I am sure that he must have measured his decision to quit after considering all factors or realities.

My discussion with a trained Agric expert hired to lend technical support to borrowing poultry farmers in my organization validated the decision of Mazi Akuenwebe to quit.

It was very eye-opening.

I learnt that the factors militating poultry farming are summarized as below:

1. High cost of drugs used for vaccinations and treatment of chicken as they are all imported and are affected by exchange rates hike.

2. High cost of poultry foods or feeds. I was told that all poultry feeds are derived from what humans also consume like maize, guinea corn, sorghum etc. that the  rising costs of food items also affect the cost of poultry feeds.

3. Due to inadequate feeding and medication, most layers have refused to lay eggs as at when due hence distorting the cash flows projections of the farmers as revenues from sales of eggs are seriously imperiled.

4. That the reduced purchasing power of the populace has made it impossible for the farmers to transfer the additional cost to buyers of poultry products.

IMPLICATIONS
The implications of this problem are huge. They include:

1. majority of small scale poultry farmers would be forced to close shop.

2. Eggs will become scarce in the market

3. Smuggling of poultry products would resume or be intensified hence putting pressure on parallel FX market.

4. Most bank facilities to poultry farmers would not only go bad but will become irrecoverable.

SOLUTIONS
The federal government should immediately read this trend and stem it. They should:

1. intervene by subsidizing the cost of the feeds and poultry drugs.

2. employ more Agric extension workers to engage the farms to help them navigate this raging storm.

I feel very helpless as I meet Mazi Akuenwebe, my relation, this Sunday to discuss his next line of action not because I ate his last chicken but because he trusts in my abilities to advise him on what next to do.