The association made the in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Wednesday in Lagos.

The Chairman of PAN, Lagos chapter, Mr Mojeed Iyiola, said the sector would only prosper with continuous interventions of the government at all levels.

“This year we want the government at all levels to engage in more interventions in feed production for local farmers.

“We have problems in input procurement, most especially in reference to maize and soya.

“We will like to appreciate the Lagos State Government for their interventions last year in respect of maize for feed milling.

“We also appeal to the federal government to fulfill its promise in the provision of substantial amount of maize for poultry farmers.

“We hope to start seeing the maize intervention from the federal government will start rolling in.

“We believe 2024 will be a profitable year for poultry farmers with these interventions,” Iyiola said.

Iyiola, however, commended the federal government for its support in the sector in the previous year.

“We commend the government’s efforts so far, but if they can fulfill all the promises they made to us will help boost productivity of the sector.

“The maize intervention of last year has so far helped to bring down the price of maize in the general market to a large extent.

“However, if the interventions do not continue, the price of maize will increase again in no distance time.

“Though we have not gotten any relief in terms of soya, so we are still expecting more.

“We produce soyabeans locally but most of it are smuggled out of the country, so we appeal to the government to stop it,” he added.

Also speaking, Mr Godwin Egbebe, the National Publicity Secretary, PAN, called on the government to curtail the smuggling of local grains to neighbouring countries.

Egbede said the major problem of the poultry was the high price of grains.

“We want the government to put an end to the exportation/smuggling of our grains to neighbouring countries like Togo, Ghana and Benin Republic.

“We hope all these will be corrected this year. We need to be self-sufficient locally before we start exportation of our grains.

“We need bailouts for the sector this year, and these bailouts must be strategic.

“We need to ensure they get to the right farmers. The government has been doing bailouts for the sector but most times it is not directed to the right people.

“The government should ensure the implementation of its bailouts is well carried out, so as to reach the right farmers,” Egbebe said.

Source: NAN

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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.

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