Joseph Bakare
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) at the weekend met with members of the Multi-Stakeholder Platform for Poultry Value Chain in Lagos.
At the event participants agreed to jointly improve the performance of the sector.
Organised by the AFOS Foundation, the meeting specifically aimed at fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing, and collective problem-solving to drive growth and development of the sector.
Speaking during the meeting, the Director, Department of Animal Husbandry Services of the FMAFS, Mrs. Winnie Lai-Solarin, restated the Federal Government’s commitment to boosting productivity across the nation’s agricultural value chain, stressing that the poultry sector will be among the most prioritised.
She assured: “We are committed to working together to overcome the challenges facing our industry. This meeting marks the beginning of a new era of collaboration and cooperation.”
In his remarks, the Registrar of the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS), Prof. Udo Herbert, emphasized the importance of addressing identified gaps and challenges in the poultry value chain by bringing all stakeholders together under a platform to optimize operations.
He expressed the readiness of the Institute to play a major role on the multi-stakeholders’ platform to mitigate challenges faced by actors in the value chain.
Similarly, the Chief Executive Officer and Country Representative of the AFOS Nig-INGO, Mrs. Juliet Adekoya, urged all relevant stakeholders to join the platform to foster collaborative partnerships that will activate innovative developments to the growth of the poultry industry
During the meeting, the stakeholders deliberated on key issues such as value chain development, policy advocacy, inclusive finance, capacity building and public private partnerships. Members agreed to be holding regular meetings to ensure sustained engagement and progress towards achieving the Platform’s objectives.
Industry experts believe that with the collective expertise and resources of its members, the Multi-Stakeholder Platform for Poultry Value Chain is poised to make a significant impact on Nigeria’s agricultural sector, thereby laying the foundation for future partnerships and initiatives to enhance the sector’s productivity and sustainability.
They described the collaboration of the members of the platform and the FMAFS as a significant step towards transforming Nigeria’s poultry industry and ensuring food security for the nation.
At the meeting were representatives from the FMAFS, the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and industry associations such as the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Feed Industry Practitioners Association of Nigeria (FIPAN), and Animal Science Association of Nigeria (ASAN) also participated.
Participants from the private sector include representatives of CHI Farms, TUNS Farms, Obasanjo Farms, Animal Care Konsult Services, and Dayntee Farms, and development partners like AFOS Foundation, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and Microfinance Agricultural Learning and Development Centre (MLDC).