MEMBERS of poultry farmers association of Nigeria have raised alarm over increasing terminal kidney and liver diseases prevalent among consumers of smuggled or imported poultry products in the country.Speaking at a one-day seminar for poultry farmers, titled; “Impact of smuggled poultry products on the economy and health of Nigerians.” In Ilorin on Tuesday, the national president of the association, Mr Ezekiel Ibrahim, said that the federal government should not contemplate lifting the ban on importation of poultry products.
Mr Ibrahim, who said that an average of 1.3 tonnes of poultry meat is smuggled into Nigeria annually since 2014 and 2017, urged the Kwara state government to encourage communities in the state which share boundaries with the Benin Republic to become whistleblowers on the unpatriotic and obnoxious activities of smugglers.
He also urged the state government to give loans and financial assistance to civil servants to enable them to go into farming so as to produce not only poultry but grains such as maize and soybeans, which he said were critical to the development of poultry sector.
“The smuggled poultry products into the country are not only affecting further development of Nigeria poultry industry but that the whole smuggled frozen meats are unwholesome and therefore unfit for consumption thereby introducing various forms of terminal diseases into the body systems of Nigerians”, he said.
Also speaking at the event, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed called for stronger enforcement of the ban on poultry products by the Federal Government.
The governor, who said that the poultry sector “is currently responsible for 25 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), added that it has the potential to create employment for five million Nigerians.
“However, the industry is still faced with many challenges which include but is not limited to unfair competition from imported frozen meat, including chicken and turkey.
“Imported frozen meat is said to account for over 2.5 billion dollars in foreign exchange and a loss of more than 1 million jobs opportunities annually.
“The net impact of this is the gradual emasculation of local businesses, resulting in unemployment and stunting growth.
“While the issues highlighted to demonstrate the urgent need to stem the importation of frozen poultry to protect as well promote Nigeria’s poultry sector, environmental and health implications of imported meat are no less grave.
“Given these economic, social and environmental costs of importing meat, I call for stronger enforcement of the ban on importation of poultry products into the country to protect the health of our citizens and boost our economy. Some may wonder if we have the local capacity to fill the supply gap that may be created by this ban on importation of frozen meat.”
The governor added that “the vast economic opportunities that will be created along the poultry value chain such as crop farming, processing, storage, haulage and retailing as a result of the expected increase in demand in locally-produced poultry.
For example, current investments in maize cultivation locally cannot meet the demands of the poultry sector for the crop alone, not to talk of domestic consumption of maize and its various derivatives.
“The implication of this demand for maize, for example, is that, based on our Demand Driven approach to agriculture, anyone cultivating the crop, once the ban is enforced, is assured of a ready market for their produce.
“It is therefore incumbent on the federal government to implement the policy adjustments necessary to protect the poultry sector, boost economic growth and boost the economy.”
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