The Poultry Farmers Association in Plateau State said the industry in the state has been reduced to half because of the current challenges bedeviling the subsector.
The state chairman of the association, Johnson Bagudu, said the poultry industry in the state happened to be one of the highest employer of labour with over 4,000 and each of the poultry farm will have up to 10 to 20 staff, but that now, nearly 50 percent of their members have either shut down operations or are operating below their original operational capacity.
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Speaking with Daily Trust on Sunday in Jos on their plight, Mr. Bagudu said the turbulent times being faced has made the poultry sector that was once lucrative to become dreaded.
He said among the problem was the high cost of feeds, day-old chicks, and drugs as well as an absence of a consistent and ready market for sales.
Bagudu said before, the eggs produced in Plateau was among the best in the country, but due to some these challenges, they are only holding on to that feat with strong efforts of will.
He said the government must come to their aid because the employment opportunity the poultry industry provided for the youths in the state had reduced crimes, drug abuse and other societal ills associated with unemployment and idleness.
According to him, some state governments have started assisting the poultry farmers by giving them some kind of relief and boost, adding that Kano State, for instance, gave poultry farmers a grant to buy eggs and that really assisted the farmers.
He said they had never received any support from the Plateau State government even after seeking assistance, pointing out that they submitted their members’ names to various agencies of government for assistance but till date they never received any.
He said the only time government appeared to check their activities is whenever there is an outbreak of avian influenza because of its danger to the society.
Bagudu however said he was optimistic that the poultry farmers will bounce back, and that with government support, their ‘bouncing back’ will be rapid and the untold hardship and losses suffered by the farmers will be addressed.
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