Again, Nigeria has been cautioned on over-dependence on oil, according to The Nation of Nigeria. At a two-day workshop organised by the French Embassy in Nigeria in collaboration Sokoto poultry farmers, policy-makers were told that unless the economy was diversified from crude oil to agriculture, the country is in grave danger of starvation.

The workshop was organised to avail local poultry farmers of the skills and technical knowledge to boost their businesses.

Participants were drawn from the 23 local councils in the state. Among them were a sizeable number of women.

Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto and Chairman/Coordinator of the Poultry Farmers' Association in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states, Dr Abdulkadir Usman Junaidu said there is urgent need for Nigeria to have a long-term plan of feeding its people and growing the economy. One way to do that is to develop poultry farming, he said.

"We need realistic approach rather than lip-service," he said. "Government has to lift the ban on the importation of parent and grandparent stock of poultry birds."

Dr Junaidu said the production capacity of poultry products and other livestock have drastically reduced due to lack of adequate attention in terms of policy and programme implementation. He made a case for government support.

"We need subsidy on poultry feeds like what is currently happening on fertiliser products," he said.

He disclosed that poultry feeds account for more than 70 per cent of business running cost, noting that 36 per cent of body-building protein for poultry birds comes from feeds products.

He said poultry farming requires adequate funds and technical skills particularly on feeds production that will guarantee high quality products and "it requires adequate financial support and insurance cover to meet the growing demand of the people at controllable risks".

He lamented the neglect of agriculture which was once the mainstay of the nation’s economy, adding that "it is not healthy a developing nation".

Also at the well attended workshop, The Nation reports that Dr Aminu Abubakar of the Department of Animal Sciences, of the same university observed that poultry farming is bedeviled by multiple problems, including diseases and under-feeding which seriously the general health of poultry birds.

Dr Abubakar said improved methods of feeds production are necessary to sustain the health and quality of birds and their products.

He warned: "Adulterated products being imported into the country can affect the growth of poultry business in every respect."