The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) has held talks with key players from the Multi-Stakeholder Platform for Poultry Value Chain in a significant move to revitalise Nigeria’s poultry industry, which has significant capacity and potential, yet, currently faces challenges.
The meeting, held at the weekend in Lagos, and organized by the AFOS Foundation, marks a concerted effort to address those challenges through collaboration and innovation within the poultry value chain.
In her remarks, Winnie Lai-Solarin, Director, the Department of Animal Husbandry Services of the FMAFS, restated the federal government’s commitment to boosting productivity across the nation’s agricultural value chain, stressing that the poultry sector will be among the most prioritised.
“This meeting is the start of a new era,” Lai-Solarin declared, highlighting the government’s dedication to overcoming sector-specific obstacles through united efforts.
Participants included representatives from the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS), industry associations, and major poultry farms, all emphasizing the need for collective problem-solving.
Discussions during the meeting centred around value chain development, policy advocacy, inclusive finance, capacity building and public-private partnerships.
In his remarks, Udo Herbert, the Registrar of the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS), emphasized the importance of addressing identified gaps and challenges in the poultry value chain by bringing all stakeholders together under a platform to optimize operations.
He expressed the readiness of the Institute to play a major role on the multi-stakeholders platform to mitigate challenges faced by actors in the value chain.
Nigeria has a large poultry population and industry, but it is still underperforming relative to the country’s huge demand and growth potential.
Experts believe that overcoming challenges like feed shortages, high costs, and infrastructure gaps could unlock the industry’s full capacity.
They also believe that the Multi-Stakeholder Platform for Poultry Value Chain can significantly impact Nigeria’s poultry and agricultural landscape, paving the way for sustainable growth and food security in the nation.
Juliet Adekoya, Chief Executive Officer and Country Representative of the AFOS Nig-INGO, urged all relevant stakeholders to join the platform to foster collaborative partnerships that will activate innovative developments for the growth of the poultry industry and energize its huge potential.
At the meeting were representatives from the FMAFS, the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and industry associations such as the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Feed Industry Practitioners Association of Nigeria (FIPAN), and Animal Science Association of Nigeria (ASAN) also participated.
Participants from the private sector include representatives of CHI Farms, TUNS Farms, Obasanjo Farms, Animal Care Konsult Services, and Dayntee Farms, and development partners like AFOS Foundation, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and Microfinance Agricultural Learning and Development Centre (MLDC).
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