LA SUITE APRÈS LA PUBLICITÉ

The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced plans to strengthen oversight of poultry import allocations and enforce stricter performance measures across the industry to eliminate supply bottlenecks.

This decisive move follows growing concerns over the underutilization of approved import quotas by operators, a trend that has caused severe shortages of day-old chicks, driven up production costs, and limited opportunities for thousands of poultry farmers nationwide.

Speaking during a high-level meeting on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, the Honorable Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, emphasized that government interventions in the poultry sector must deliver measurable outcomes for farmers and consumers alike, noting that allocations will now be closely monitored and directly linked to real performance.

The Ministry of Livestock Development’s objective is to ensure that public policy translates into increased production, lower barriers to entry for farmers, greater affordability, and sustainable growth across the sector. Industry assessments reveal that a significant proportion of approved poultry allocations have historically been left unfulfilled, creating artificial supply constraints that directly trigger recurring price hikes for day-old chicks. Minister Maiha stated that future support will require a firm commitment from industry operators, framing the success of the poultry value chain as a critical issue tied closely to national security, job creation, and rural livelihoods.

As part of a collective effort to scale up domestic production capacity, Valentine Chickens presented a landmark proposal for a $5.6 million investment in local grandparent stock production infrastructure. Partnering with Aviagen, a global leader in poultry genetics, the project involves establishing specialized breeding facilities and advanced biosecurity systems in Nigeria to systematically reduce the country’s dependence on imported parent stock.

The Managing Director of Valentine Chickens, Leon Gunter, explained that the initiative is designed to import genetic capacity rather than just day-old chicks, creating a multiplication effect that will benefit the country’s poultry industry for the long term.

The projected yield of this genetic capacity investment promises a major transformation for Nigeria’s food security metrics. At full capacity, an annual import of 116,800 grandparent breeding chicks is projected to yield 2 million parent stock females. This will eventually translate into 273 million commercial broiler chickens and approximately 378,000 tons of chicken meat per annum, calculated at a 72 percent carcass yield.

This massive influx of locally raised poultry is expected to bridge the existing supply gaps and significantly lower production costs for local farmers.

To support this industrial expansion, the Ministry is establishing a centralized national database to track every imported grandparent stock – GPS and parent stock – PS egg and chick. This regulatory shift is deliberately designed to break down long-standing entry barriers for smallholder farmers, prevent the manipulation of import quotas, and boost Nigeria’s historically low poultry per capita consumption.

Through tight administrative oversight and private sector partnership, the federal government aims to ensure that the local livestock supply directly and affordably meets the nutritional needs of ordinary citizens.