Poultry Farmers in Ondo State under the auspices of Poultry Farmers Association of Nigeria (PAN) have commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over its various timely intervention programmes to support poultry farmers, especially in the south west region of the country.
The commendation was contained in a Communique issued at the end of stakeholders meeting held in Akure, Ondo state capital by the association, who said the timely intervention of the apex bank in the poultry subsector, had helped to ameliorate the suffering of poultry farmers during the Covid-19 lockdown.
In the Communique signed by the Chairman of PAN in Ondo state, Mr Gideon Oluleye, the association disclosed that the CBN interventions are in terms of loans, direct allocation of grains (maize) and soya beans to farmers at the grassroots level.
According to him, CBN intervention and loans to the farmers had gone a long way to bring relief and succour to a lot of farmers, saying some farms which had been closed were revived and effective through the loan intervention.
Oluleye however, appealed to the CBN to focus and concentrate the interventions in the Southwest, being the hub of poultry activities, saying the initiative had helped the grassroots farmers by giving lifeline to those out of business and providing employment for those out of the labour market.
Oluleye said “All of you know we lost a lot of stocks during the covid-19 lockdown, we were burying eggs, fowls last year because no market. CBN came, gave loans to us that impacted our farms and our lives.
“We want to let CBN know that most of the farmers are still looking out for their application to be granted, personally I have increased my stock to 10,000 because I am part of those that has benefitted and we are urging them to grant other members, loans to ameliorate their plight.
“Southwest is the hub of poultry activities no doubt about that; talk about hatchery, meat processing, egg production, meat, seventy per cent of of poultry activities in the country happens in this region, so in intervening, more of this intervention should come to the Southwest,”
Members of the association asked for unhindered access to loans and direct allocation of inputs to stabilise the prices of products in the market.
They resolved that all poultry stakeholders in the country must rise up to save the sector from collapse.
Also speaking, the General Secretary of PAN in Nigeria, Joseph Aladesuyi commended appreciated the Federal Government for the various intervention loans to the farmers in the country through the CBN.
Aladesuyi said the Southwest region still needed more maize and soya beans allocation to meet the needed demand of its members, urging the CBN to not relent in its intervention programmes but by dealing with poultry farmers regionally.
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