By Fatima Muraina

Poultry farmers have been encouraged to downsize their operations instead of shutting down entirely, so that they can remain in business.

The Chief Livestock Officer of the Ondo State Ministry of Agriculture, Olusegun Alajo, offered the advice during an interview with The Hope in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

 Alajo advised farmers to adopt a resilient approach,  persevere and keep striving.

 He further encouraged poultry farmers to diversify into crop production by securing plots of land for maize cultivation, which would reduce the cost associated with sourcing for feed.

 He also called on the government to support farmers in land preparation at minimal or no cost, easing the burden of planting.

“That is mass production, and it will go a long way in helping poultry farmers address the high cost of feed. Our government must have the political will to empower poultry farmers, and even crop farmers, to produce grains because feed is the problem,” he stated.

 “If we can have sufficient feed ingredients, especially maize and soybean, those two key ingredients, farmers will be encouraged and empowered to produce massively, then there’ll be no problem.”

 He noted that the grain distributed to poultry farmers previously was insufficient and unsustainable, stressing that empowering mass grain production would be a more viable long-term solution.