Business

Why FG should reverse forex removal on importation of poultry products — PAN

Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has said that the poultry industry in Nigeria will totally collapse if the Nigerian government does not reverse the forex removal on importation of poultry products into the country.

The Association said the recent development from the pronouncement from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will make Nigeria revert to the pre year 2000 when Nigeria was completely a dumping ground for all sorts of imported poultry products.

In a statement signed by the National President of PAN Sunday Ezeobiora and the Director General of PAN, Onallo Akpa said the implications of the recent policy of the removal of FOREX and the further explanation by the CBN that the products were not even banned in the first place contravenes the fiscal policy stands of the Government and has obviously created an unacceptable impasse in Poultry development.

“This recent announcement further heightened the fears of the Farmers and investors in the Poultry Industry and compounded the already collapsing production in the sector”, the statement said.

PAN however said that “the Government should maintain the import restriction policy on frozen poultry products and Eggs as any attempt to succumb to pressures from anywhere will spell disasters not only to the Poultry industry but to the entire Nigerian economy.

“Immediate engagement with the Poultry Association towards making available needed raw materials like Maize and Soya to revive the collapsing farms as the Poultry industry is the most capitalized subsector of the Nigerian Agriculture”.

The Association also requested for an immediate funding program to the sector so that the Industry does not collapse.

“These calls for clear narrative by the Government on the pronouncement by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that restriction have been removed on FOREX allocation for Poultry products and other items. The gains recorded by the poultry industry in the last twenty years cannot be eroded in a jiffy by market economy deregulation.

“The issue of multiple taxation on poultry production enterprises and products by the various States Internal Revenue Boards or Agencies be critically looked into by the Joint Tax Board with the possibility of abolishing all unnecessary taxes on food by either the Revenue collection Agencies or taskforces. The Federal Ministry of Finance and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) have great roles to play in this matter”, PAN noted.

The poultry association further said that there should be synergy and fiscal incentive strengthening 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. The Poultry Industry remains the low hanging fruit of this Government’s action on Food Security.

“We remain the most commercialized sector providing employment to over 20 million Nigerians, providing the cheapest source of rich Protein to end malnutrition, assured gender balancing in the employment and provision of trade to women and youths, stabilizing the national food security of the nation by boosting the other sectors of Agriculture like Crop Production and agronomy, contribute over 25% of the Livestock Agricultural Gross Domestic Product of the national economy”, the statement added.

READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE