Poultry industry in Nigeria faces total collapse after multiple shocks

In the last four years, the poultry industry in Nigeria has faced many daunting challenges, leading to the collapse of many farms. The COVID-19, foreign exchange, naira redesign, cashless policy crises, avian influenza, insecurity and cost of feeds, were the worst problems the industry has faced in decades, pushing many smallholder farmers out of business. It all started in 2019 when the COVID pandemic hit the world, leading to the collapse of international businesses, and the imposition of restrictions and lockdowns across countries. Farmers suffered severe losses due to lockdowns, which affected the market for eggs and other poultry products. The Nigerian poultry industry, according to statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, has the second largest chicken population in Africa after South Africa, producing 650,000 tons of eggs. Dr Onallo Akpa, the Director-General, Poultry Association of Nigeria, painted the economic picture of the eggs ...