At least 25 million Nigerians will lose their jobs in the poultry sector, says the Lagos chapter of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), amid economic and security challenges plaguing Nigeria.

Speaking on Thursday, the chapter chairman, Godwin Egbegbe, listed the challenges to include the high cost of farm inputs, insecurity and disease outbreaks.

“We envisage that we may have more than 25 million job losses in the country’s poultry sector with the current challenges. A lot of poultry farmers are gradually closing shop and selling their birdcages because they can no longer cope with the challenges,” said Mr Egbegbe. “Things are really tough for poultry farmers in recent times. A lot of us are going out of business and laying off staff and disposing of property.”

Mr Egbegbe also explained that the shutting down of poultry farms was not peculiar to members in Lagos State as those in other parts of the country were experiencing the same challenges.

He noted that many poultry farmers now engaged in commercial motorcycling to make ends meet.

“Many commercial motorcyclists one finds in cities now used to be poultry farmers,’’ Mr Egbegbe further said.

(NAN)