Poultry Industry in Nigeria is seriously threatened by the
activities of smugglers as Nigeria reportedly loses over $2 billion to
smuggled poultry products.
Speaking during the 2015 edition of the annual national poultry
summit of National President of the Poultry Association of Nigeria
(PAN), Dr. Ayoola Oduntan said loosing such a whopping sum is
detrimental to the growth of poultry business in Nigeria.
Oduntan stated that over 1.2 million tonnes of poultry products,
mainly frozen chicken and turkey smuggled into the country have
adversely affected the business of poultry farming in the country.
According
to him, Nigeria produces 300,000 tonnes of poultry products locally.
Compared to the million of tonnes being smuggled into the country every
day, Oduntan noted that there is a wide gap between the aggregate demand
and supply in the country “Nigeria cannot continue to be a subtle
dumping ground for all kinds of poultry and poultry products.
Considering the high level of unemployment in the country, the
government must do everything it can to reopen closed farm and develop
the poultry industry, rather than wasting hard earned foreign exchange
on products that gives nothing but financial losses to the economy,” he said.
Oduntan
indicated that the outbreak of avian influenza that affected about 1.2
million birds in 25 states in the country has increased to 1.4 million
in 5 months.