The poultry industry in Plateau State happened to be very lucrative and the eggs produced in the state is known to be among the best in the country.
In effect, the industry became one of the highest employer of labour with over 4,000 poultries and each of the poultries often have up to 10 to 20 staff.
However, the industry was struck with increasing challenges for over a year ago now, thereby forcing some of the farmers to close down their poultry, while others quit the business outright. And those who managed to keep afloat are only operating below their original operational capacity.
Notable among the problems that hit the industry was the high cost of feeds, day-old chicks, the drugs as well as absence of consistent and ready market for sales.
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Prior to that, there was the outbreak of avian influenza which led to the depopulation of birds/chickens. And then as the harmattan came last year, it also affected the poultry because it came with severe cold.
The cold then had detrimental impact on the birds/chickens and thus affected the production level of the chickens drastically.
The latest challenge that hit the poultry industry in the state was the attendant hardship which came with the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
This made the Chairman of Poultry Farmers Association in Plateau State, Johnson Bagudu, to raise alarm over the level of havoc the CBN policy had on them, saying the state appeared to be worst hit.
Bagudu said this made the prices of eggs to drastically crash and farmers have been recording serious losses in the sense that a crate of egg that was hitherto sold at N2,100 is now sold for N1,000.
He said some are unable to still sell their eggs, while some buyers do so on credit. And those who pay, use bank transfer and not cash, thereby making things more difficult for the farmers who want to immediately access their cash for seamless running of their business.
He then called on the Plateau State government to come to their aid in a way of interventions, and the government interestingly heeded timely.
This was made known in a statement by the Director of Press and Public Affairs to the Governor of Plateau State, Makut Macham.
The statement said the Plateau State government has noted with concern that there is a significant glut of eggs in the state which is affecting most families particularly poultry farmers.
Hence, the Executive Governor, Simon Lalong, has directed that such excess eggs be immediately mopped up (purchased by the government) and distributed to the following organisations: orphanages, prisons, schools and hospitals.
When our correspondent contacted Chairman of Poultry Farmers Association in the state, Johnson Bagudu, he said they have liaised with the government and that it has given approval for the purchasing of all the eggs in their members possession.
“Upon the approval, we mobilized our members immediately and they all retuned the eggs in their possession. The association then took proper data/documentation of the volume/crates of eggs brought by each member for proper payment record,” he said.
According to him, although the payment is yet to be made, but it has begun having impact in the system as the demand for eggs have increased and the price has jerked up again.
This, he said, is helping their members to pick up and to graduallymake gain from any egg they sell, which is a big boost to the farmers who hitherto were running at a loss due to the crash of egg price because of glut.
He said the eggs they mopped up for government purchase was about N10 million and/or above.
Commenting on the issue, a former ECWA Farm Manager in Jos, Yilkes Zumunci Bitrus, said if the government can be intervening in various ways in the poultry industry, it would boost the economy because the industry is critical in the economic fabric of the nation/states.
Bitrus said the poultry industry has provided employment opportunities for youths, and that the challenges which hit the industry may lead to loss of jobs, criminality, drug abuse and other anti-social vices.
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