THE STRUCTURE AND IMPORTANCE OF THE COMMERCIAL AND VILLAGE BASED POULTRY INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA

Project Abstract

The poultry industry in Nigeria is a crucial aspect of the country's agricultural sector, providing a significant source of income and nutrition for many households. This research project aims to explore the structure and importance of both the commercial and village-based poultry industries in Nigeria. The commercial poultry sector in Nigeria is characterized by large-scale operations that focus on the production of poultry products for the urban market. These commercial farms often utilize modern technology and management practices to maximize production efficiency and meet the high demand for poultry products in urban areas. The industry plays a vital role in providing employment opportunities, contributing to economic growth, and ensuring food security in the country. On the other hand, the village-based poultry industry in Nigeria consists of small-scale and backyard poultry farming activities that are prevalent in rural areas. This sector is essential for rural households as it provides a source of income, nutrition, and social security. Village-based poultry farming also serves as a means of poverty alleviation and empowerment for rural women and youth, who are actively involved in poultry rearing. Both the commercial and village-based poultry industries face various challenges that impact their productivity and sustainability. These challenges include disease outbreaks, lack of access to quality feed and veterinary services, inadequate infrastructure, and limited market access. Addressing these challenges is crucial for the growth and development of the poultry industry in Nigeria. Despite the challenges, the poultry industry in Nigeria holds immense potential for growth and expansion. The sector can benefit from improved policy frameworks, increased investments in research and development, capacity building for poultry farmers, and the adoption of sustainable practices. By addressing the structural issues and promoting the importance of the poultry industry, Nigeria can harness the full potential of this sector to enhance food security, livelihoods, and economic development. In conclusion, the commercial and village-based poultry industries in Nigeria play significant roles in the country's agricultural sector and overall economy. Understanding the structure and importance of these industries is essential for policymakers, stakeholders, and poultry farmers to implement effective strategies that promote the growth and sustainability of the poultry sector in Nigeria.

Project Overview

<p><b>1. INTRODUCTION&nbsp;</b></p><p><b>1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY</b></p><p>Agriculture continues to be the most important sector of the Nigerian economy in terms of provision of employment in spite of its declining contribution to the nations foreign exchange earnings. About 65% of Nigerians are estimated to depend on agriculture for their livelihood while 34.8% of the GDP and over 38% of the non-oil foreign exchange earnings, are contributed by the agricultural sector. Agricultural contributed an estimated 32% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 1998 to the Nigerian economy. An estimated 35.2% of the labour force was employed in the sector in that year. The principal cash crops are cocoa (which accounted for only 0.7% of total merchandise exports in 1995), rubber and oil palm. Staple foods include rice, maize, taro, yams, cassava, sorghum and millet. Timber production, the raising of livestock (principally goats, sheep, cattle and poultry), and artisanal fisheries are also important. According to World Bank estimates, agricultural GDP increased at an annual rate of 2.9% in 1990-98. The sector remains the largest contributor to the Nigerian economy, accounting for over 38% of the non-oil foreign exchange earnings, and employing about 70% of the active labour force of the population. Although, the sector has suffered much neglect by the Federal Government since the discovery of petroleum in commercial quantity in 1958, but its importance cannot be over emphasized in the Nigerian economy. The poultry sub-sector is the most commercialised (capitalised) of all the sub-sectors of the Nigeria’s agriculture. There is however no comprehensive data on the sub-sector; thus making proactive intervention and planning in the sub-sector due to lack of accurate information or current data. With the global spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) across several countries since 2003 and especially, the confirmation of the epidemic in Nigeria in February 2006, there is a new attention focussed on the sub-sector by the Government of Nigeria (GoN) and the international community. As part of this new initiative, FAO intends to collate the available current information in order to provide an overview of the poultry sub-sector in Nigeria. This report titled “The Structure and Importance of the Commercial and Village Based Poultry Industry in Nigeria” is prepared for this purpose.&nbsp;</p><p>1.2&nbsp;<b>SCOPE OF STUDY AND TERMS OF REFERENCE&nbsp;</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>This study was designed to be a desk review of the poultry sector in Nigeria. It was to be used for further investigation on, either the epidemiology of Avian Influenza and/or other poultry diseases and their socio-economic impact. The report emanating from the study, based on statistical data, reports, literature information and interviews with key 2 stakeholders, is to provide a 5-year overview of developments in the poultry sector. It includes a review of the structure of different poultry production systems; husbandry practices, poultry health measures; evolving marketing chains; the role of poultry in rural livelihoods and household food security, and policy/economic factors which have contributed to changes in the sector. The detailed terms of reference is presented in Appendix 1&nbsp;</p><p>1.3 <b>DATA SOURCES, COLLECTION APPROACH AND ANALYSIS</b></p><p>The data for this study were collected mostly from secondary sources. The sources include: Federal Livestock and Pest Control Department, National Bureau of Statistics, Poultry agro-industrial entities, selected or representative rural poultry keeping households, as well as institutional sources of published and unpublished documents, etc. Data collection was guided with checklists of information that were designed to elicit information to meet the terms of reference. In selected cases, complementary data were actively sourced through interviews with stakeholders. The data analyses were both qualitative and quantitative. Quantitative analysis and extrapolations were carried out wherever possible to provide information on the structure and size of the operations in the poultry sub-sector.&nbsp;</p><p>1.4 <b>LIMITATIONS AND&nbsp;CONSTRAINTS</b></p><p>The major limitation is paucity and in some cases, the accuracy of information, which can provide a comprehensive overview of the poultry sub-sector. The Federal Livestock and Pests Control Department has not carried out any nation-wide survey of the sub-sector in recent years. The National Bureau of Statistics, until 2005, had not conducted any survey on the sector for several years. In addition, the year-2005 survey, which covered the subsector and is still being processed, has significant gaps arising from lack of appropriate inputs from poultry subject matter experts and socio-economists. Thus as much as possible, proxy variables were used to obtain indicative quantitative overview of the subsector. It therefore became crucial to cross-integrate data from other related sources to achieve improved accuracy. These were also combined with information obtained from experts and operators in the sub-sector to develop this report. Nigeria is a very extensive country which demands equally extensive travels to reach data sources. The lack of e-data sources further compelled physical contacts directly or through proxies in the diverse and country-wide locations. In spite of these, this exercise has generated very considerable data and yielded a very good and full overview of the poultry sub-sector. In the report wherever necessary, the specific data requirements for the future are highlighted and suggestions or justifications are made to guide such future contingencies. <br></p>