Poultry farmers in Delta State have raised the alarm over the possibility of over 600 of their farms shutting down due to the high cost of maize.
According to the state Chairman of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Chief Eric Tomfawei, the cost of maize has risen by over 75% from N225,000 to N405,000 per tonne.
Speaking at a press conference in Asaba on Thursday, Chief Tomfawei said that despite the recent increase in maize prices, farmers in the state were unable to raise their prices, even as many of them were experiencing gluts in egg and broiler production.
Tomfawei appealed to relevant government agencies to release adequate quantities of maize from the Strategic Food Reserve to the poultry industry at discounted rates to address the spiralling cost of maize.
While calling on the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to release enough quantity of maize from the Strategic Food Reserves of the Ministry to the Poultry Industry through the Poultry Association of Nigeria to address the ugly situation, the chairman warned of youth restiveness in the Niger Delta when poultry farms are closed and workers laid off.
“Apart from the direct impact on the hunger crisis, more youths, who are engaged by the poultry industry, will be thrown back into the labour market with attendant security implications.”
He alleged that poultry farmers were being frustrated by the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX) and the Strategic Maize Reserve (SMR) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) through the cancellation of allocations of 40,000 metric tonnes of maize meant to assist poultry farmers.
Tomfawei accused officials of the Nigeria Commodity Exchange and the Strategic Food Reserve of CBN of hoarding maize and urged President Tinubu to set up an investigative panel to get to the root of the problem.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
I study 10 hours, sleep 5 hours daily — Imo first-class graduate with perfect 5.0 GPA, Igboanugo
Igboanugo Annastatia, who graduated with first-class honours, in this interview, reminisced about memorable moments that…
PHOTOS: How Aquatech College was demolished ‘with students on site’
It was a traumatic experience for students of Aquatech College of Agriculture and Technology on Thursday, as…
Nigerians have slammed Former Governor of Ekiti State Ayodele Fayose over his sudden support for President Bola Tinubu, saying he only…
VIDEO: My father deflowered me at 10, made love to me thrice weekly, Lady opens up
A young Nigerian Lady identified as Precious has revealed the horrifying ordeal of how she has been sexually abused by…
Ronaldo beats Messi to become world’s highest-paid athlete
For the first time since 2017 (and third time overall), Cristiano Ronaldo has topped Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid athletes, earning…
THE ongoing horror in the South-East being perpetrated by suspected members of the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of…
and then