The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) Bauchi state chapter has decried being excluded by the State government as stakeholders in the Federal Government`s school feeding program.
Bashir Adamu Rishi, Chairman of the association in Bauchi in an exclusive interview with WikkiTimes Newspaper lamented that such exclusion is a minus to them as prime dealers of eggs partly used to feed these children.
“We feel that the poultry association is directly going to be a stakeholder in the programme just as it is in other places like Kano and with over 4000 poultry farms in Bauchi State, we are in good position be actively involved,
“We wrote a letter sometimes last year to the Social investment Board in Bauchi State under the watch of Hajia Mariam Katagum requesting that poultry farmers be included in this programme, but all proved abortive” ‘he complained.
WikkiTimes spoke to another poultry Farmer Bamgbose Olukunle James, who identified Marketing and lack of standard slaughtering ground as other setbacks poultry farmers suffer in Bauchi State.
“I remembered there was a time we wrote to the Ministry of Agriculture asking the government to give us a piece of land where we could call farmers market, ” If we have farmers market, we will disengage the middlemen spoiling the market for us and the essence is not to make money, but to make farmers have value for their market, he said.
Olukunle James further explained that a standard slaughtering ground will enable them have a slaughtering room, cold room, generator and the cooling van which conveys their products to anywhere it could be needed.
WikkiTimes Newspaper reached out to the government through the special adviser to the Governor on Agriculture Dr. Iliyasu Aliyu Gital Who gave assurance that something will be done.
“Regarding the school feeding program, I may not take it at the government level, but on a personal Level, If It means talking to the woman in charge, I will do that,
“Even if it means helping her to present it to the council members, I will do that because it will even make us know and trust the sources of the eggs we are giving to these Children” He said.
Dr. Gital also assured that, “Since the government is entering into partnership with would-be investors which most of them are from outside the country who will come and invest in Bauchi meat processing agency, We can directly involve the poultry farmers to be part of it, so my assurance is that any company that will be coming to Bauchi State will be ready to partner with Poultry Farmers Association”
