ABEOKUTA — Poultry industry stakeholders have called for urgent and practical interventions to address rising production costs, inadequate access to finance, shortage of day-old chicks, disease outbreaks, high feed prices and security challenges threatening the sustainability of Nigeria’s poultry sector.
The stakeholders made the call during a press briefing held in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Wednesday, October 21, ahead of the 2026 Nigerian Poultry Show, scheduled to hold from November 3 to 5, 2026, at the Olusegun Presidential Library Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
The event, with the theme, “Building a Sustainable and Resilient Poultry Industry in Challenging Times,” is expected to bring together poultry farmers, investors, researchers, financial institutions, government representatives, innovators and other players across the livestock value chain.
Speaking at the briefing, Rev. Oluleye Gideon Olugbeja, Chairman, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Southwest Zone, and National Vice President, Southwest, said the industry must develop strategies capable of sustaining poultry production despite the economic challenges facing the country.
“Majorly, we are trying to build a poultry industry that is sustainable and resilient in challenging times,” Olugbeja said.
He acknowledged government’s efforts to address some of the challenges confronting the agricultural sector but stressed that professionals in the poultry and livestock industry must also deploy their expertise and innovation to overcome the difficulties.
According to him, food security should be treated as an important component of national security, noting that a country that secures its borders but fails to guarantee adequate food for its citizens could face instability.
“A country that can secure its external borders but cannot secure food for the people hardly will be stable because people will agitate,” he said.
Olugbeja explained that the poultry show was designed to expose farmers and other industry players to new technologies, innovations, research findings and investment opportunities capable of improving production and reducing the cost of food.
He said participants would also have the opportunity to interact with financial institutions and investors on ways to access funding for their businesses.
“We are using this as our own sector to make sure that we help the nation to bring down the cost of food, provide enough availability of food and protein sufficiency for the entire nation,” he said.
According to him, the exhibition will provide participants with access to modern equipment, improved feeding technologies, precision farming techniques, data-driven poultry production, organic production systems and improved biosecurity practices.
He added that exhibitors and experts from different parts of the world, including the United States, Europe, China, India, Israel and Australia, are expected to showcase innovations and technologies at the event.
Olugbeja stressed that the programme was not designed exclusively for large-scale farmers, noting that feed millers, drug manufacturers and sellers, animal scientists, logistics providers, entrepreneurs and youths interested in poultry and livestock production would also benefit.
He described poultry as a major avenue for creating jobs and industrialising Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
Also speaking, Dr. Olalekan Odunsi Chairman of the Nigerian Poultry Show and a farmer, said the annual event was designed to provide farmers with opportunities to network, access solutions to their challenges and interact directly with key government officials, financial institutions and industry experts.
Odunsi said the organisers were bringing together major stakeholders because farmers needed direct access to institutions capable of addressing their challenges.
“This event is largely put together so that farmers can have a breather, make connections and have solutions to their problems,” he said.
He disclosed that the Minister of Livestock Development, National Coordinator of AIRPRES, Mr. Abubakar Sani, and the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture are expected to attend the event.
Odunsi also said the Ogun State Government was expected to participate in the programme.
He identified security, high grain prices, inadequate financing, disease outbreaks, insurance and the shortage of day-old chicks, particularly pullets, as some of the major challenges currently facing poultry farmers.
According to him, feed accounts for about 75 per cent of the cost of poultry production, making the availability of affordable grains crucial to the survival of poultry businesses.
“If feed is not made available, it will be a challenge,” Odunsi said, stressing the need for interventions to reduce the cost of feed production.
He also called for access to affordable agricultural finance, particularly single-digit interest rates, to enable farmers to expand their businesses and increase food production.
“A lot of farmers need to expand so that we can feed the populace, but finance is a challenge. How do we bring down the interest rate to a bearable amount?” he asked.
Odunsi further raised concerns over disease outbreaks and the absence of adequate insurance protection for poultry farmers.
He urged insurance companies to develop products capable of protecting farmers against losses resulting from disease outbreaks and other unforeseen circumstances.
The chairman also expressed concern over the shortage and rising cost of day-old chicks, especially pullets, noting that the increase had significantly raised the cost of establishing and maintaining poultry farms.
He said the cost of raising a pullet from day-old to point-of-lay had become increasingly expensive, while the prices of broiler chicks had also risen considerably.
Odunsi said government interventions and stronger collaboration among stakeholders could help reduce the burden on farmers and make poultry production more sustainable.
He added that the organisers were also working with security agencies to address the security concerns of farmers who are increasingly reluctant to visit their farms because of insecurity.
The organisers therefore invited poultry farmers, intending farmers, youths, investors, businesses, researchers and other stakeholders across the livestock value chain to participate in the 2026 Nigerian Poultry Show.
They said participants would have opportunities to learn about new technologies, establish business connections, explore funding opportunities and gain practical knowledge capable of improving efficiency and profitability.
Registration for the event has commenced online, with participants encouraged to register ahead of the programme to facilitate seamless participation.
