CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele
1.34mmt of poultry products smuggled into Nigeria to fill poor supply gap – CBN gov. Emefiele
Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele has stated that a huge gap still exists between local demand and supply of poultry products and meat, saying ‘smuggling has now taken up position to fill that gap in the country.’
Emefiele blamed the prevalent smuggling of poultry products such as eggs and chicken, turkey meat, across the country’s land borders, on Nigeria’s inability to meet local demand.
Speaking in his welcome address at the official inauguration of University of Ilorin GgMAX Integrated Commercial Poultry Farm funded under the CBN Tertiary Institutions Poultry Revival Scheme (TIPRS), Emefiele said that the country’s demand for eggs and meat is outstripping current supply by 1.2 million metric tonnes (mmt) and 140,000mt for meat and eggs respectively, stressing that this deficit has driven the smuggling of unhealthy frozen chicken into the country.
“Over the years, this demand gap has driven the smuggling of unhealthy frozen chicken into the country.
“To close this gap, the Central Bank of Nigeria has introduced various intervention schemes focused on boosting poultry production, creating decent jobs, fostering innovation in the poultry sub sector,” he said.
Emefiele who was represented by the Director, Development Finance, CBN, Mr Ayila Yusuf, however, noted that the CBN Tertiary Institutions Poultry Revival Scheme(TIPRS) which is a collaboration with several institutions, is targeted at boosting poultry production, creating decent jobs, fostering innovation in the poultry sub sector.
The N600 million funding which was provided to the University of Ilorin through Zenith Bank at a single digit interest rate of 5 per cent was expended on the construction of broiler and layers pen and cages; procurement of over 50,000 birds, feed milling equipment, processing machinery and other ancillary poultry amenities.
Remarking, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Sulyman Abdulkareem said that there will be a repayment period of six years with a moratorium on the repayment of the principal for one year.
Abdulkareem noted that the poultry farm was expected to contribute to food security in Nigeria.
He added that the multi-million Naira project would help to bridge the wide gap between the demand for poultry products and the supply caused largely by the ban on importation of poultry products.
Abdulkareem said that the poultry farm would enable the university take a huge leap in its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), ‘making money available for critical aspects of the university’s operations, especially in the areas of research and physical development.’
According to him, the University’s research efforts will also be boosted by the farm as it represents a veritable laboratory for the students and the staff. The students are also made to see first-hand the entrepreneurial side of what they are taught in the classroom, re-orientating them to a mind-set of creators of employment in the agribusiness sector as agripreneur as against that of the white-collar jobs-seeking graduates.”
