Mixed reactions by poultry, maize farmers over 262,000mt importation

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT has confirmed the delivery of 262,000 metric tonnes (MT) of imported maize to the country as part of its effort to augment local production and bridge the deficit in supply.

The importation was actualised following the forex approval granted to Wacot Limited, Chi Farms Limited, Crown Flour Mills Limited and Premier Feeds Company Limited by the Central

Bank of Nigeria in September to enhance the emergency importation of maize into the country to assuage local scarcity.

Reacting to the importation report, Ezekiel Ibrahim, president of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) commended the import delivery, which he described as the right step in the right direction.

According to Ibrahim, the newly imported maize is an encouragement to the poultry industry and is certain to lead to an increase in poultry production in no small measure.

“The gesture has greatly helped the poultry industry to continue with production before the harvest season, which will be around in November 2020,” he said.

In his reaction, an erstwhile vice-chairman of PAN, Folorunso Ogunnaike, pointed out that the food crisis in Nigeria might have worsened, putting many farmers out of business, had the importation waiver not been granted.

Ogunnaike also charged the government to extend the waiver to others within the sector.

However, the Amana Farmers and Grain Suppliers Association of Nigeria (AFGSAN) expressed displeasure over the move, saying it would undermine the local production of the commodity.

Haruna-Ahmed Pambegua, the association’s chairman described the approval as retrogressive, asserting that it came at a time when the harvesting of local maize had commenced in some parts of the country.

Promise Amahah, a maize farmer and national coordinator of the Nigeria Young Farmers Network (NYFN) stated that the move is a discouragement to local farmers who have put much efforts and time into generating high yields of maize.

According to him, the initial total forex ban had stirred a lot of maize farmers to work towards increased productivity targeted at meeting the sustainable needs of the country, but the waiver issued to the four companies denotes inconsistency on the part of the government