NAN Archive

Loading

NAN Archive

Tag poultry

  • Mar, Wed, 2020
Agriculture

Drug Residue in Chicken: Expert cautions poultry farmers on antibiotics

Drug residue in chicken: Expert cautions poultry farmers on antibiotics

By Mustapha Yauri

Antibiotics

Zaria (Kaduna State), March 18, 2020 (NAN) Dr Emmanuel Gaba, Gender Policy Unit, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, has cautioned poultry farmers against indiscriminate use of antibiotics, saying it makes chicken or eggs unhealthy for consumption.

Gaba told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Zaria that the current practice by some poultry farmers of administering the drug without prescription would leave drug residue in the chicken or eggs.

He warned that consuming such chicken or its bye-product may cause antibiotic resistance and other health challenges in human beings.

He said under an ideal situation a farmer needed to stop antibiotics on the bird two weeks before consumption of the chicken or its bye-product.

“Due to economic implications, many poultry farmers don’t observe the two weeks withdrawal period before such chicken or eggs were sold to the unsuspecting members of public,’’ Gaba said.

He, therefore, advised farmers to revert to the ideal practice in
poultry farming to protect the health of the people.

In a separate interview with NAN, Dr Fadipe Oladotun, the Principal Assistant Registrar, Veterinary Council of Nigeria,  said veterinary doctors have a high role to play in the control of drug residues in  chicken and eggs.

Oladotun noted that antibiotics were meant to cure diseases but
several times because some farmers don’t follow prescriptions on how to administer the drugs led to drugs residue and resistance.

He said if a poultry farmer should use antibiotics, it must be used
with correct prescription and observed withdrawal period before the
chicken or its egg was consumed.

He added that once the farmer observed the withdrawal period it would reduce the effect of resistance and residue on the chicken and eggs.

“Whatever happens to the animals or birds have direct effect on human beings.

“My advice to poultry farmers is that we should use antibiotic with
prescription and many a times what is needed is bio-security and
cleanliness.

“If the environment is clean and all the routines are followed we
will not need to administer these antibiotics,’’ he said. (NAN)

AM/AMM/MST

Edited by Abiemwense Moru/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

  • Mar, Tue, 2020
Agriculture

Entrepreneur advises poultry farmers to adopt solar energy to reduce operational costs 

Energy
By Uchenna Eletuo
Lagos, March.3 , 2020 (NAN) An Entrepreneur, Mr Yemi Hakeem, on Tuesday advised poultry farmers to reduce operational costs by adopting the use of solar energy in place of diesel or petrol plants on their farms.

Hakeem, who is the Proprietor of Hakme Global Services Ltd., gave the advice during the public presentation of a tropicalised solar-energy floodlight in Lagos for cost-effectiveness operations.

The proprietor said that solar system was a more viable alternative in running poultry in the country than the use of petrol or diesel plants to run farms, especially poultry in the country.

According to him, reduction of production costs is imperative for Nigerian farmers to enhance self-sufficiency in food production and guarantee food security.

“The use of petrol and diesel plants to power farms, especially poultry farms that cannot do without light is making operational cost of investors to be high and it adds to the market prices of produce.

“As a people, we need to devise a system through which food is made available to the common man. Of what use is the  production of chicken and the common man cannot afford it?” he wondered.

Hakeem said that some of the benefits of the solar-powered  floodlight include environmental friendly, high brightness and coverage of  large space of up to 50m², zero operational cost asides the purchase cost N 25, 000.

He said that the floodlights could be purchased in many farm stores nationwide and online stores.

The proprietor, who stressed the importance of cost effectiveness to food affordability, said that the solar powered flood lights would  further boost productivity in poultry farming.

Mrs Charity Obazu, an Ota-based poultry farmer,  corroborated the views of  Hakeem on the benefits of the solar system, saying it would help to reduce the money for daily purchase of fuel to power the farms.

Obazu said that she made good sales during the last Yuletide, adding that the gains were ploughed back into running her  poultry farm.

She called for concerted efforts of the government and agriculture extension workers to come up with fresh ideas that would reduce the cost of production and make farm produce affordable. (NAN)
EUC/GY
=======

Edited by Grace Yussuf

Economy

Poultry sub-sector most commercialised with current net of N1.6trn– CBN

Poultry sub-sector, most commercialised with current net of N1.6trn– CBN

Poultry

By Mustapha Sumaila
Abuja, July 8, 2019 (NAN) The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says the poultry sub-sector is the most commercialised of all Nigeria’s agricultural sub-sectors with a current net worth of about N1.6 trillion.

The CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele made the disclosure at a meeting with Vice Chancellors of Universities on the University-Based Poultry Revival Programme in Abuja on Monday.

Emefiele, represented by the CBN Deputy Governor on Economic Policy, Dr Okwu Nnanna, said the sub- sector contributed about 25 per cent of Agricultural GDP to the Nigerian economy.

He explained that the population of chickens was about 165 million, which produce approximately 650,000 Metric Ton and 300,00MT of eggs and meat all together.

According to him, the demand situation is estimated at over 200 million birds, while the demand for eggs and meat are about 790,000MT and 1,500,000MT, leaving a huge demand gap which unfortunately, is met through smuggling.

He said it was estimated that over 1.2 million MT of poultry meat is smuggled into Nigeria from Benin Republic by some unscrupulous Nigerians.

The CBN governor, who described the development as unfortunate, pledged that the apex bank under his leadership would stop it.

“I am aware that the Nigerian poultry sector faces high production costs, safety concerns due to lack of sanitary controls and technical constraints in processing and marketing.

“Production costs are generally high due to lack of an integrated and automated industrial poultry sector.

“Poultry producers lack reliable access to inputs including chicks and feed as well as high costs of veterinary services.

“More importantly, is the problem of lack of access to low cost, long tenured finance, which though is not peculiar to the industry but even others, and will be resolved.

“In spite of these constraints, there remains a huge potential for the industry in Nigeria. The demand for poultry products is expanding as a result of population growth.”

According to him, the Nigeria population is projected at 400 million by 2050 and 280 million are projected to live in the cities, significantly increasing the demand for poultry products.

“Also, per capita consumption of chicken is still very low at 2.5kg in Nigeria, when compared to Brazil and South Africa at 30kg and 40 kg.

“The per capita consumption of eggs in Nigeria is 60 eggs per annum compared to 250 to 300 eggs per annum in most advanced countries” he explained.

Emefiele added that the school feeding programme of the present administration also remained a huge potential yet to be fully tapped saying that the poultry represented an important source of high quality animal protein.

“In order to address this gap and unlock the potential of Nigerian poultry producers, the CBN has initiated a programme to boost poultry production in Nigeria and various institutions have been selected as part of the pilot team to run a University-based Poultry Revival Programme.

“The initiative will produce chicken meat and egg to reduce importation and close the existing demand and supply gap as well as to raise a new crop of agropreneurs in modern poultry production.

“This project will also provide infrastructure that will support the sustainable production of poultry; and reduce pressure for foreign exchange demand through import substitution by local poultry production” he said. (NAN)
MS/VIV/MNA
===
Editing by Vivian Ihechu/Maureen Atuonwu

 

Agriculture

FG plans urgent relief for poultry industry – Osinbajo

FG plans urgent relief for poultry industry – Osinbajo

NAN-HG-5

Poultry

Abuja, Feb. 24, 2017 (NAN) Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday promised that the Federal Government is planning urgent relief to poultry farmers in the country to save the industry from collapse.

He gave the indication during his second meeting in the week with representatives of the poultry industry at the Presidential Villa.

The intervention is part of an urgent effort by the federal government to address challenges in the agricultural sub-sector in line with its policy on self-sufficiency in food production.

The poultry industry has had to contend with a number of challenges including an outbreak of Avian Influenza which affected almost four million birds in 2015.

It also suffered non-allocation of Foreign Exchange for the importation of needed machinery and other critical inputs, and high production costs in the industry.

At the Friday meeting relevant ministers and agency heads came together to fashion out how to bail-out the ailing poultry industry.

“The poultry industry is a local industry that needs to be protected urgently,” Osinbajo said at the meeting where specific measures were tabled and considered on how the federal government could be of help.

He said the industry should be a major plank of the agriculture sector and as such the Buhari administration would ensure that it got help regarding the challenges being faced by operators of the sub-sector.

He added that by supporting the local industry, poultry-related importation which was currently a drain on the country’s Foreign Exchange could be a thing of the past.

In his remarks, Dr Ayoola Oduntan, the President, Poultry Association of Nigeria, noted that poultry presently contributed 25 per cent of the Agricultural Gross Domestic Product of the Nigerian economy amounting to N1.6 trillion.

He added that Nigeria was rated as the number one egg-producing nation and number four in poultry meat in the continent.

The poultry sub-sector is said to generate over 14 million direct and indirect jobs in the country.

Present at the meeting were the Finance Minister, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister of State Heineken Lokpobiri.

Others were the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (retired), and the Central Bank Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele.

Lokpobiri later told State House correspondents that the ministry would embark on aggressive maize and soya bean cultivation to produce surplus of poultry feed input.

“What we have is that we are going to develop a programme that will deliberately grow more maize which will satisfy not only our local market but the international market.

“We have a demand from Algeria and some other countries.

“They are saying that if we are able to grow two million metric tons and above for them they are going to construct a rail line to Kano to come and buy,’’ the minister disclosed.

He also advised farmers hoarding maize with the intention of selling later to the federal government to desist as such produce would not be bought from them by the government.

“It is also an opportunity to also send this signal to those who are hording maize that anybody who is hording maize does so at his own peril.

“Federal Government will not buy maize.

“The federal government buys grains as the buyer of last resort,’’ he said.

The minister also said that the government was also planning to address the loss suffered by poultry farmers during the outbreak of Avian Influenza.

“We also discussed the issue of Avian influenza that led to the destruction of a lot of birds in the country.

“Some part of the money has been paid, but we still have an outstanding of N1.7 billion,’’ he said. (NAN)

DCU/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola