By Lanre Shodimu
As Parts of efforts to tackle protein deficiency in Nigeria and capacity of local production, the Federal Government, in partnership with China, is planning a $900 million investment in large-scale poultry projects aimed at producing up to six million eggs daily. This development will help tackle Nigeria’s protein deficit and strengthen food security.
Joseph Tegbe, Director-General and Global Liaison for the Nigeria–China Strategic Partnership, disclosed this in Abuja, explaining that the initiative represents a shift in the bilateral relationship from infrastructure-focused cooperation to deeper development partnerships anchored on agriculture, industrial production, and technology transfer.
According to Tegbe, the plan involves the establishment of six integrated poultry farms across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, each designed to produce one million eggs daily.
“We’re going to have six poultry projects across Nigeria to address food security issues. Oyo, Kaduna will be the pilots, and then we’ll do the four after. Each of those poultry farms is supposed to produce one million eggs a day. That means the two will produce two million eggs a day.
“By the time we have six million eggs a day, each one is supposed to have one million laying hens and 300,000 broilers. Each one of those poultry farms is supposed to have its power generating plant. It’s supposed to have its abattoir, have its hatchery. Each of those poultry farms has backward integration. Because we don’t want to set up a poultry farm and go out and import feedstock,” he said.
According to him, the pilot projects will be located in Oyo State in the Southwest and Kaduna State in the Northwest, with construction expected to begin soon after final approvals.
Each facility will operate as a fully integrated agricultural complex with about one million laying hens and 300,000 broilers, supported by hatcheries, abattoirs, power generation plants and feed processing facilities.
Meanwhile, Poultry farmers in Nigeria have kicked against the proposed $900 million poultry investment deal between the Federal Government and China, warning that it could undermine the local industry if poorly implemented.
The concerns were disclosed by the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) in interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos, where key stakeholders expressed reservations about the planned partnership.
The pushback comes amid reports that the Federal Government is projecting a $900 million investment agreement with China to develop a large-scale poultry project capable of producing up to six million eggs daily, as part of efforts to tackle Nigeria’s protein deficit and strengthen food security.
