Farmers seek sustainability of restrictions on importation of poultry products

THE Federal Government has been implored to continue to sustain the current import restriction policy on poultry and poultry products, especially frozen poultry products and table eggs into the country.

Poultry farmers in the country under the aegis of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) made the call through its National President, Sunday Ezeobiora in an interview.

He said any country wishing and willing to do poultry business with Nigeria should form partnership to invest and produce in the country and exporting such poultry products to other countries in West Africa since the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCTA) commencement.

“We are very aware of the campaigns by Western powers and their local collaborators for the lifting of a ban on the importation of frozen poultry products into Nigeria.

“Such a move will further impoverish the country and will make the country a dumping ground for all poultry products.

He also called for the promotion of pro-poor rural poultry development programmes by increasing investments in rural infrastructure, agriculture, research, and development.

“This will assist in reducing the rural-urban migration of youths as both the youths and women could be strong agents for poultry development.

Ezeobiora urged the government to invest heavily on active surveillance to be able to track various diseases that have tended to ravage the poultry industry.

He pointed out that such diseases include Avian Influenza (AI), which ravages the poultry industry at all times, stressing that there is the urgent need to keep the virus of Avian Influenza in check constantly.

“Investments in both passive and active surveillance as well as holistic measure adoption is the only sure method to keep animal and health diseases at far arm’s length.

The PAN President who also touched on the issue of multiple taxation on agricultural commodities and products of the poultry industry by the various States Internal Revenue Boards or Agencies, said the issue must be critically looked into by the Joint Tax Board with the possibility of abolishing all illegal revenue collection Agencies or task forces.

He said that the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) have great roles to play in the matter.

Speaking further he said that there should be a synergy and fiscal incentive for strong consultation and collaboration among the various organs and agencies of government and the critical stakeholders towards a robust planning, decision making, and implementation of government actions.

“The existing policy ambiguities that tend to create acrimonies among government agencies and the industry operators need to be smoothened and strengthened.”

However, he noted that the poultry industry is at the moment facing some challenges that need urgent government interventions and urgent actions.

According to him, the alarming and negative narration of the situation of the poultry industry today is that the fortune of the industry is nose diving leading to the closure of some poultry farms for the obvious reasons known to all.

He noted that while the government has come up with various agricultural programs and policies to boost poultry production in the past, it appears that the tempo and zeal are not being sustained.

“More devastating to the poultry industry is the way the outbreak of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) and the various policies like the currency denomination and others have affected the industry negatively with the devastating effects being magnified by the various reforms being witnessed at the moment.

In order to assist and ameliorate the current challenges facing the poultry industry in the country according to him, tariffs on all imported micro inputs for poultry production, as well as equipment, should be made zero-duties and other taxes exempted.

He said this will greatly reduce the high cost of production exacerbated by the devaluation of the Naira and that it will help to further create wealth and employment for Nigerians.

“Based on statistics and data of poultry production and needs of the country with the association, the government should work together with the industry leaders to come up with sustainable policies that will support the industry on a long-term basis of between 10 to 20 years considering our population growth and shift in consumer preferences and others.

Ezeobiora who is also the Chief Executive Officer, Sunchi Integrated Farms said there should be deliberate efforts to develop critical poultry infrastructures and value chain enhancement, especially for the underprivileged in the society.

“We need to move from rhetoric to action, reform policies, and create a favourable business environment, make market work for the poor, and therefore restore and conserve natural poultry resources. Sustain livestock growth and transformation by the creation of a special Poultry Development Fund under the new agency known as the National Agricultural Development Fund,” he added.

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