The high rate of poverty in the nation has been identified as the reason why many Nigerians are not consuming foods rich in either plant or animal protein.
Ezekiel Ibrahim, National President, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), dropped the hint while speaking at a Protein Deficiency Awareness webinar themed: “Nigeria Food Culture and the Challenge of Protein Deficiency.”
He said that low consumption of protein-rich food is as a result of poor government and planning, stating that successive governments have paid lip-service to agriculture following the sudden discovery of crude oil.
Ibrahim noted that the importance of chickens and poultry in Nigeria cannot be over-emphasised, adding that chickens are a great source of protein and it is one of the cheapest sources of animal protein.
“Chicken remains the best source of animal protein and unlike in the past when it would take three months to breed the local chicken to the level where it will be ready for consumption, in just four weeks, a broiler could be ready for consumption now.
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He frowned at the high cost of egg in the country due to the production and capital intensive nature of agriculture, farmers cannot afford to sell at N5 and remain in business and called on the government to build an effective and efficient agriculture sector to improve farmers’ yields per hectare to drive down the prices of food.
Emphasising for a deliberate policy to encourage the youths to go into farming, Ibrahim said priority should be given to food production.
Speaking further, he stated that the cost of feeds is significant and that soybean is an important source of protein in poultry feeds.
He lamented that the insecurity across some northern states is hampering the production and subsequent availability of soybeans which is an essential protein source for the production of poultry feeds.
