NAN-AE-13
Farmers
By Itohan Abara-Laserian/ Chidinma Agu
Lagos, March 15, 2017 (NAN) Some farmers in Lagos on Wednesday called on the three tiers of government to provide incentives and encouragement that would make Nigeria self-sufficient in production of poultry products.
They spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the First Bank Agric Expo in Lagos.
Theme of the Expo is tagged: ”Renewing Agriculture for Sustainable National Development.”
Mr Nobel Igbokwe, the Marketing Manager, Diversity Solutions Ltd., said that what the poultry farmers need was an encouragement from the governments in terms of patronage and good policies.
Igbokwe said the company has a department that takes care of poultry farms by ensuring that the environment was conducive for the chicken.
“This helps us to provide all the materials necessary for a prospective poultry farmer to have good yields.
“The laboratory is always carrying out test to ensure that no harm befalls the animals, and ensure that they are healthy to continue to produce eggs,” Igbokwe said.
In his comments, Mr Akinwale Saheed, the Marketing Manager of Akin Sateru Farms, Lagos, said that the expo had afforded many farmers the opportunity to bring their feed products to the public.
“Nigerians do not know that quality poultry and fish feeds, comparable to those produced outside the country, is being produced locally.
“The Expo has given us the opportunity to show that given the necessary support, we can do it in Nigeria.
“The materials for poultry feed is 100 per cent sourced locally; the Fish Mill is sourced from Katsina State.
“It is only the sea pack that we source from Netherlands. We are putting mechanisms in place to source it locally too,” he said.
Also, Ms Ophylia Ibekwe, the Marketing Manager, Natnudo Foods, said that the company had assisted other poultry farmers by buying their products, adding value and makes them available for Nigerians.
“In Natnudo Foods, we sell finished poultry products like eggs, frozen chicken, sausage beef, smoked fish, among others.
“We have a subsidiary company that is into helping farmers to establish various poultry and fish farms and Natnudo have a buy-back arrangement with the farmers.
“With the buy-back arrangement, Natnudo buys their products and process them for markets,” she said. (NAN)
ITM/OKU/ACA/FLP/GOK
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Edited by Folorunso Poroye/Olagoke Olatoye