Poultry Association seeks license for maize imports

The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) Lagos state chapter is seeking a licence to import maize to ease the cost of production.

The chairman of the of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) Lagos state chapter, Mr. Mojeed Iyiola, said this in an interview with the newsmen on Tuesday in Lagos.

Iyiola said the cost of production has increased since the beginning of the year, hence the call by the association for its import licence.

“The licence for the importation of maize is being given to few hands, and they are importing for their selfish gains.

“If they even decide to sell to poultry farmers and feed processors , they still sell at the same rate the open markets are selling to us.

“So even the import waivers for maize are favouring poultry farmers. That is why we are appealing to the government to give us, as an association, the right to import our maize ourselves.

“When we import our maize directly, we can now sell it to our members at affordable rates, which will in turn reduce our cost of production.

“Buying from middlemen cost us a lot. For the import waiver policy to be effective and beneficial to the poultry sector, we should be given the licence to import ourselves,” Iyiola said.

The PAN chairman also noted that the cost of poultry produce, such as eggs, cannot drop presently due to the rising cost of poultry feed.

“The prices of eggs cannot come down now because, virtually every three days, feed producers add a minimum of N800 to the cost of feed.

“The grower feed that was being sold at the rate of N3500 for a 25-kg bag at the beginning of this year is being sold at almost N13,000 per bag.

“And there is no way a layer can lay twice a day, no matter what you feed it.

According to Iyiola, the egg-laying process is a cycle that must be completed before the birds can lay again.

He expressed concerns that, with the growing production costs, eggs are gradually'no longer a diet for the poor.’

"This is quite unfortunate because a single eggs has all the nutritional requirements needed by the human body,” the chairman said.