CBN, stakeholders brainstorm on improving egg production in Northwest
By Benjamin Auta
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and stakeholders in the poultry industry and academia from all the northwestern states of Nigeria have met in Kaduna to brainstorm over ways of improving egg products in the zone.
Speaking at the event, the Northwest Zonal Coordinator of the CBN Development Finance Office, Mal Mohammed Idris said that the workshop is solely organized to improve the value chain of poultry farmers in order to look for opportunities in improving the industry.
He added that CBN had noticed a supply gap which needed to be filled so that projects like the school feeding programs and export needs could be achieved.
He called on poultry farmers to take advantage of programs created by the CBN in order to meet the huge demand in the market.
Also speaking, representative of the CBN branch, Alh Umar Biu, said the NorthWest has been identified, statistically, as the zone with less production of eggs in the country hence the need for a stakeholders meeting.
He said that eggs, contrary to some beliefs, is not a luxury but a needed for the wellbeing of human beings especially children in their formative years.
He also added that the CBN has loan schemes aimed at providing succour and employment to all Nigerians for various businesses.
He cautioned them to desist from allowing middlemen act on their behalf because such intermediaries end up defrauding them.
A lecturer at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) and the Head of Department, Animal Science, Professor M Kabir said that the major issue bedevilling the poultry industry is the high cost of feeds.
He said that there is need for poultry farmers to embrace new innovations as farming especially animal farming is a game changer globally.
He added that the cost of maize in the north will continue to affect feed production which in turn raise the cost of raising birds for egg production.
A participant at the stakeholders meeting, Mohammed Auwal Haruna agreed that the activities of bandits roaming the bushes in the North had affected the output of maize production which in turn had made the production of feeds expensive.
He called on the federal government to open the borders and allow for importation of poultry feeds if they want to succeed in boosting egg production in the NorthWest.
