Poultry farmers in the country under the aegis of Poultry Association of Nigeria, PAN, have called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to as a matter of urgency, relax the ban placed on importation of maize.
They made the appeal while addressing journalists at a press conference held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
It would be recalled that the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria, placed ban on importation of some items that can be produced locally.
But, the poultry farmers while speaking through the Oyo State PAN chairman, Mr. Gbemisoye Agboola, called on the president to as a matter of concern lift the ban on the importation of maize, warning that the poultry industry in the country was on the brink of a dangerous precipice as the industry might lose about a trillion naira annually.
He noted that maize constitutes between 50 per cent to 70 per cent of chicken feeds because it is the cardinal input of poultry business.
He added that there had been an unhealthy competition for important staple food due to high demands for maize by humans.
Agboola noted that there was urgent need for the government to help salvage the largest agricultural value chain, stating that nothing less than one million jobs were being threatened as a result of the non-availability of maize.
He explained that agriculture provided essential raw materials for industrial growth and development of a nation, adding that it was the strength of most developing countries, and provided employments to its citizens.
