Nigeria poultry industry important to country's economic health, say experts

At a two-day workshop organized by the French Embassy in Nigeria and local poultry farmers, experts emphasized the importance of the country's poultry and other agriculture industries to ensure Nigeria's long-term economic health.
Speakers at the event said that there is an urgent need for Nigeria to have a long-term plan of feeding its people and growing the economy, and that developing poultry farming is one way to do that. "We need a realistic approach rather than lip-service," said Dr. Abdulkadir Usman Junaidu, faculty dean at Usmanu Danfodiyo University's school of veterinary medicine. "The government has to lift the ban on the importation of parent and grandparent stock of poultry birds."
Junaidu also said that poultry farming requires adequate funds and technical skills, particularly on feed production, that will guarantee high-quality products, as well as government support. "It requires adequate financial support and insurance coverage to meet the growing demand of the people at controllable risks," he said.