PAN Urges Poultry Farmers to Embrace Modern Technology for Better Production

The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Lagos State Chapter, has urged poultry farmers to adopt modern technology to improve productivity and increase profitability. The call was made during the association's annual summit held in Alausa, Lagos, with the theme, "Flocking to Growth: Transforming Nigeria's Poultry Industry with Innovation and Investment."

PAN Lagos Chairman, Mojeed Iyiola, said the summit was organised to expose farmers to global best practices and new technologies that can improve poultry production. He said the association wants members to replace outdated production methods with modern systems that increase efficiency while reducing labour.

Iyiola said Nigerian poultry farmers must keep pace with global developments to achieve better production results. He added that PAN has begun training programmes with experts from academic institutions to equip farmers with practical and technical knowledge.

He also commended the Lagos State Government for supporting poultry farmers, especially its plan to establish an egg powder factory. According to him, poor egg sales continue to cause heavy losses for farmers, and the processing plant would help reduce waste by converting unsold eggs into products for local consumption. He appealed to the government to make the factory operational.

Also speaking, Professor Olugbenga Ogunwole of the University of Ibadan advised farmers to adopt proper feeding practices that match the genetic potential of modern poultry breeds. He said improved technology has reduced the time needed to raise broiler chickens to market weight from eight to twelve weeks to about five weeks, stressing that farmers must use quality feed and follow current production standards.

Director of Extension Services at the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, Olushola Egbota, encouraged poultry farmers to make use of the ministry's extension services for technical support. She advised farmers to seek knowledge that improves productivity rather than depending only on government support such as maize and feed interventions.