SON Canvasses Ways Out of Glut For Egg Markets
the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has advised poultry farmers across the country to channel their energies towards increased production of egg powder as one of the ways out of the current glut in the egg market.
Egg powder production requires special machines which processes egg from its original form to powder for other uses. Experts believe that this is one of the ways to end the glut and expand the egg markets in Nigeria.
Director-General of SON, Osita Aboloma who stated these in Kaduna at a training organised for Poultry Farmers Association (PAN), Kaduna chapter and other poultry and allied stakeholders, maintained that egg remains an important food nutrient for consumers across the country.
As one of the major ways to end the prevailing glut in the egg market, the agency has charged poultry farmers to embark on capacity building and diversification of egg powder production.
He called for adherence to standards in the production, grading and storage of egg to boost high patronage of the product across the country.
Aboloma who was represented at the event by Mr Danlami Datti, SON State coordinator, Kaduna said the workshop was aimed at assisting stakeholders achieve best practices in the sector thus enhancing value addition, which would also impact positively on demand thereby enhance growth.
According to him, semi-processing of egg into powder would help to reduce glut in the market and price disparity in the system, thereby enabling farmers have competitive pricing for their produce.He said it would also create more jobs, adding that the SON was ready to assist farmers in his regard.
On the training, the SON Director General said the objective was to ensure that farmers adhered to the basic standards in poultry farming especially with particular reference to production, grading and storage.
He added: “We want farmers to know that there are standard rules to adhere to and best practices that can help advance the sector. It is in the interest of both the farmers and consumers of the product”, he said.
The DG also charged farmers on the need to ensure the packaging and grading of eggs for sale according to approved codes of practice adding that, “Sorting ensures that eggs of the same size are packaged together thus ensuring that consumers have value for their money”.
He stressed that the SON was ever ready to support farmers as well as Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), to improve standards, build their capacity and to sell, so that the job creation commitment of the current administration would be achieved.
The agency had in recent times intensified its efforts towards supporting various sectors of the economy to enhance their potentials, through the deployment of relevant standards.
Mr. Aboloma posited that once standards are improved and adopted across various sectors, it would lead to increased demand for Nigerian products in both the local and international markets, improve the overall capital stock of firms and products’ availability.
He said the organization recently conducted a programe for the agro-allied sector across the geo-political zones in the country, with the desire to stimulate the economy. “SON’s desire is to play its part towards harnessing the huge potentials of Nigeria”
In his reaction, the Kaduna state chapter Chairman of PAN, Hon. Ishaku Dogo, expressed happiness about the training, saying it had opened their eyes to pertinent standardisation issues concerning their sector.
He said the farmers have realised that standards are important to the success of poultry business.
Hon. Dogo implored the SON to replicate the training in other states of the federation, to ensure that more farmers are better informed.
Source: SON
