From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The Poultry Farmers Association of Nigeria, Ogun State Chapter, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene and save over N3 trillion Nigeria poultry industry from imminent collapse.
The association, in a letter addressed to the President and dated December 14, 2020, a copy of which was obtained by Daily Sun in Abeokuta, yesterday, said 20 million jobs of Nigerian citizens would be in danger if the exorbitant prices and acute shortage of maize and soybeans, major constituents of poultry feeds, were not addressed.
The letter, which was jointly signed by the state Chairman, Idowu Asenuga, and the General Secretary, Oludare Kuforiji, was also copied to the Chief of Staff to the President, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, the Senate President, Chairman, Senate Committee, Chairman on Agriculture, Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture.
According to the letter, the price of soybeans had increased by 90 per cent, while current price of maize in comparison to 2019 has risen by 80 per cent, emphasising that the increase in both products has led to increase in the price of poultry feeds to nearly 100 per cent.