Farmers in Akwa Ibom have bemoaned scarcity of day-old-chicks despite the existence of Akwa Prime Hatchery and Poultry limited with the capacity of 200,000 per week.
Some of the poultry farmers expressed frustration over the logistics challenges they face in the course of bringing day-old-chicks from Kaduna, Enugu and Ibadan, while the hatchery in the state inaugurated in 2016 is lying fallow.
One of the farmers, Mr. Etido Okon, told newsmen that poultry farmers in the state had not had it so bad in the last 12 years.
“For the 12 years that I have been in poultry farming, this is the first time in years that poultry farmers have been so harshly affected by both economic and non economic factors. And, quite unfortunately, nobody is available to offer any explanation.
“Farmers have been left at the whims and caprice of owners of the means of production, there don’t seem to be any government regulation of the poultry industry, how, do you explain a situation where you wake up suddenly and the price of a day old chick is selling for N600, a bag of feed goes as high as N6,000.
“And, in a state that government claims to be pursuing agriculture as one of his cardinal programmes. For instance, in 2016, the government said it has constructed an hatchery, and the intention according the government was to ensure availability of day old chicks at affordable price to farmers, but, quite, unfortunately, that effort has not yielded any tangible result. Farmers are still getting their day old chicks from Ibadan, Kaduna, and Enugu. So, the question now is where is the hatchery?
“One would have expected that farmers would be buying old chicks at humane prices, but, from all indications the acclaimed hatchery is a ruse. The day old chicks we in the market are; Amo, Chi, Sayed, and Chikun, etc. So, which one is the Akwa Prime Hatchery producing?” Okon explained.
Another farmer, Mrs. Eka Prince Ukpong, lamented over the number of casualties she recorded the last time she ordered day-old-chicks from Ibadan.
According to her, she was excited just like other farmers about the idea of establishing an hatchery in the state, but such hope has been dashed as there are no chicks several years after commissioning.
Correspondents who visited the hatchery at Mbiaya in Uruan local council observed that activities were at the lowest ebb, as there was no sign of business going on in the sprawling complex even as the road leading to the Hatchery has been impassable for commuters.
Management of the company denied newsmen access into the company even as locals confided in correspondents that only the poultry section is functional and not even functioning at full capacity.
A staff who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to address the newsmen, said though ‘’we do not have day old chicks at the moment, we have frozen chickens in sufficient quantities.’’
Many respondents have reasons to attack the sudden change in plan on the multibillion naira factory initiated by Governor Udom Emmanuel as part of efforts for food sufficiency and curb the plight of poultry farmers in the state.
Managing Director of the poultry company, Dr. Samuel Yakubu, had last years reportedly pledged to meet public demands by raising well over 200,000 broilers and 50,000 laying stock birds.
Several calls and text message sent to the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Glory Edet, for her reaction on the issue were not responded to as at press time.
