Soybeans scarcity threatens poultry farming in Nigeria

Shortage of locally produced soybeans in Nigeria which is a major ingredient in producing chicken feed is threatening poultry farming across the country as poultry farmers find it very difficult to feed their birds due to acute shortage of the grain, National President of Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Olabode Oduntan, has said.Speaking in Abeokuta, […]

Shortage of locally produced soybeans in Nigeria which is a major ingredient in producing chicken feed is threatening poultry farming across the country as poultry farmers find it very difficult to feed their birds due to acute shortage of the grain, National President of Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Olabode Oduntan, has said.
Speaking in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital during the 2014 poultry show organised by the South West branch of the association, Oduntan said while the price of maize, a major component of chicken feed has remained stable and available, soybeans price has skyrocketed and the commodity has disappeared from the market.
He said the federal government is aware of the situation and that information the association is getting showed that 60,000 metric tonnes of soybeans have been imported and are finding their ways into various warehouses. He lamented that local farmers could not provide enough quality soybeans for local consumption.
Oduntan said the poultry industry in Nigeria that produces 13 billion eggs annually, is providing about 15 million jobs and therefore should not be allowed to crumble. He said the imported soybeans will be distributed to poultry farmers this week.
The Managing Director and chief executive officer of Danhassan Livestock and Poultry Farms and Vice Chairman of PAN, Katsina State chapter, Alhaji Musa Danhassan, was optimistic that when the imported soybean is distributed to poultry farmers in the country, it will enhance poultry business.
He lamented that despite the role of the poultry industry in the nation’s economy, neither the federal, state nor local government authorities are rendering any financial support to poultry farmers in the country.
He said though he does not have details of the collaboration the association is trying to forge with Netherlands poultry farmers, he was optimism that Nigerian poultry farmers will gain a lot from their Dutch counterparts through the transfer of modern technology.  
Eight poultry farmers from Netherlands attended the show and indicated interest to assist Nigerian poultry farmers to enhance production by introducing them to new poultry farming technology.
The poultry association called on parents, the federal and state governments to ensure that children of school age are fed with at least one egg every day, saying the association will do everything possible to ensure that the policy on school feeding programme under the Universal Basic Education (UBE) scheme is implemented, as the country has enough birds to produce eggs to feed the primary school population in the country.
The association pointed out that only Osun and Kano state governments have so far implemented the policy of feeding school children with eggs which he described as a dependable source of providing the school children with more vitamins.
Some poultry farmers that spoke to Daily Trust lamented that rather than government encouraging local production of soybeans as a means of addressing its scarcity, huge sums of money are now used in importing the grain.
One of the poultry farmers that attended the event from Lagos State, Otumba Femi Olaitan, said, “importing soybeans is not the best for this country. We have farmers that are into soybeans production. Let us find out what their problems are and assist them to produce enough for our needs. For how long shall we continue to import soybeans? Importation is not the best,” he said.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the poultry show, Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Ronke Sokefun, said the state government is working towards the rehabilitation of all abandoned poultry farms in the state.
She assured poultry farmers of the state government’s continued support by creating an enabling environment for the total industrialisation of the poultry industry.