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The issue of egg gluts has continued to persist for more than 40 years in Nigeria, due to the fact that over 99 per cent of table eggs are still being sold as raw commodity.
A University Don, Prof. Idowu Ola, who disclosed this in an interview, said “there are millions of table eggs either wasted or sold out cheaply as a result of the periodic egg glut issue,” noting that there is need for diversification by way of value addition and processing to ensure optimum marketing.
The don explained that failure to look into this direction would continue to be the albatross of the sector, while production now in the advent of technology, has made many of the tedious poultry operations to be labour-friendly.
According to him, major challenges include poor market structure, low purchasing power of the populace, inaccessible land for production, high level of insecurity, lack or high cost of electricity power, and poor road infrastructure, among others.
“Though, these are surmountable, but it would end up making livestock production unattractive, as well as discourage intending investors. Chicken remains the most intensively-reared livestock species in Nigeria.”
He hinted that the sector employs over three million people and many more in the adjoining businesses, saying, “poultry population and its business in Nigeria is second in ranking to South Africa in the whole of Africa.”
Prof. Ola said: “Cattle are the most extensively reared livestock species. The bulk of cattle slaughtered in the country yearly entered through border crossing on hoof.
Significant number of sheep and goats also follow the same route.
“Pigs are reared and eaten mostly in Benue State and the Southeast regions. Farming of catfish is another major animal production venture. It is almost getting to the level of chicken farming. We have pockets of farms dealing with non-conventional species like cane rat, snail and rabbits.”
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