By Mercy Omoike
The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Lagos State Chapter, on Thursday sensitised poultry farmers on the importance of adopting modern technology to improve productivity and profitability.
The sensitisation took place during the association’s annual summit in Alausa, Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the summit, with the theme, “Flocking to Growth: Transforming Nigeria’s Poultry Industry with Innovation and Investment,” attracted poultry farmers from across the state.
Speaking at the event, PAN Lagos Chairman, Mr Mojeed Iyiola, said the summit was organised to educate members on global best practices and technological innovations for improved poultry production.
According to him, the association wants farmers to move away from outdated methods and embrace modern technologies that enhance productivity with less labour.
“This summit, which also serves as our annual conference, is aimed at sensitising our members on better and technological ways of running poultry businesses.
“As the theme implies, we want to stop using crude methods of running the poultry industry so that farmers can maximise benefits and increase profitability.
“There are new innovations and technologies that can move the industry forward with a limited labour force.
“This is exactly what we want to achieve with our members, that they step up the way they run their poultry businesses,” he said.
Iyiola said Nigerian poultry farmers must align with current global trends to achieve results comparable to those recorded in developed countries.
He said the association had commenced training programmes involving experts from academia to provide both theoretical and practical knowledge to farmers.
The chairman commended the Lagos State Government for its support to poultry farmers, particularly its efforts toward establishing an egg powder factory.
According to him, poor sales remain one of the biggest challenges facing poultry farmers, resulting in huge losses from unsold eggs.
“We have farms that break hundreds of eggs daily, translating to millions of naira in losses.
“The Lagos State Government is assisting us in building an egg powder factory. Even if we cannot export immediately, we can at least process the eggs for local consumption.
“In that area, the Lagos State Government is trying for us. We are only appealing to the government to make the factory operational,” he said.
Also speaking, Prof. Olugbenga Ogunwole, a professor of Agricultural Biochemistry and Animal Nutrition, Poultry Science, Food and Food Safety at the University of Ibadan, urged farmers to adopt appropriate feeding practices to maximise the genetic potential of modern poultry breeds.
According to him, poultry production has evolved significantly, reducing the period required to raise broiler chickens to market weight from between eight and 12 weeks to about five weeks through improved technology.
“Our people still rely on old poultry literature and outdated practices.
“Present-day technology must match the present stock that we have.
“What farmers need to do is feed their birds properly. They should stop giving their birds poor-quality feed if they expect good performance.
“Our birds should be fed in line with international standards to achieve the desired results,” Ogunwole said.
In her remarks, Mrs Olushola Egbota, Director of Extension Services, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, urged poultry farmers to take advantage of extension services to improve farm productivity.
She advised farmers not to rely solely on government interventions such as maize and feed support but to seek technical knowledge that would enhance production.
“We urge all poultry farmers in the state to regularly contact the Lagos State Extension Services office at Oko-Oba, Agege, for the information they need to improve their farms.
“We are available to support poultry farmers to maximise their productivity and potential,” Egbota said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
DMO/JNC
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Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma