By Peter Adedoyin
Poultry farmers in Ogun State, under the aegis of Poultry Association of Nigeria, (PANOG) on Wednesday appealed to the State Governor, Dapo Abiodun to exempt them from payment of the annual land use and amenity charges, which they is killing their businesses.
They said, such taxation combined with the prevailing harsh economy, insecurity and high cost of production among others was making many farmers shut down and throw their workers back into the labour market.
The poultry farmers, who spoke through their acting Chairman, Dr. Ajibola Odukoya, at a press conference held in Abeokuta to commemorate the 2024 World Egg Day, with the theme “United by Eggs”, said his members pay as much as N2m each every year.
enjoined Nigerians to prioritise eating eggs at least once daily given its nutritional benefits to the human body and healthy living.
While analyzing the effect of the harsh economy on their businesses, Odukoya said, as at last year, Nigeria was producing at least 18 million eggs per month, but now, it currently produces about half of that figure, saying that many farms are daily shutting down operations.
Odukoya said, “as poultry farmers are trying hard to keep feeding the nation despite the harsh economy and rising cost of production, we are faced with unfriendly taxes from the government like the land use and amenity charge from Ogun State government.
“Farmers are asked to pay as much as N850,000, N2m, and it is not as if the farmers are making such profit. We are just struggling to keep feeding the nation, we don’t have such money.
”We sincerely plead with the Ogun State government to exempt the poultry farmers from paying this land use and amenity charge to strengthen our survival, so that we don’t shut down like many of our colleagues and throw those earning their livelihoods with us into the labour market again”.
Odukoya also adduced the rising cost of maize which forms 70% of the feed component to the protracted insecurity challenge in the northern part of the country.
He said, farmers’ efforts to address this challenge by planting maize in the southern part of the country are also being threatened by the activities of the herders that allow their cows to destroy whatever we planted.
While asking the government to help in curbing open and indiscriminate grazing in the state, the PANOG Chairman also reminded the state government of its promise to support the poultry farmers with 10,000 metric tonnes of maize out of which 200 metric tonnes was released about seven months ago.
Stressing the importance of this year's celebration, Odukoya noted that it was to draw people’s attention to the many benefits of the nutritional value of an egg.
He explained that “though egg may be small in size, but it has been recognised to be a powerhouse packed with essential nutrients, including high-quality protein, vitamins A, D, E, B12, and important minerals like iron and selenium as well as healthy fats like omega-3s, making them a balanced and nourishing food item.”
The PANOG Chairman said regular consumption of eggs can improve brain health, boost immunity, support eye health, and help in muscle building and repair while they are also beneficial for children’s growth and development.
Odukoya urged Nigerians to shift to eating at least one egg per day and watch out for the turnaround in their well-being and the performances of their children educationally.
Dr Grace Oluwalegan of Elshadai Veterinary Services also described eggs as a balanced diet, adding that there is no age limit to taking eggs.
Oluwalegan said eggs remained the cheapest source of protein that is highly recommended for the total well-being of humans, saying people should henceforth take at least an egg a day and see the marked positive difference
No comments:
Post a Comment