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By Uzo Ugwunze

 

Irked by the current spate of food price increases that have resulted in nationwide hunger, livestock farmer Mr. Onunkwo Obinna Ifeanyichukwu, based in Nkwelle-Ezunaka, Oyi Local Government Area, Anambra State, disclosed on Sunday that if the Federal Government subsidizes the price of feed machines, the issue of hunger will be a thing of the past.

Ifeanyichukwu, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Arubo Farms Nigeria Limited, Nkwelle-Ezunaka, stated that the major problem hindering increased productivity is the high cost of feed machines.

He said, "Farmers across the nation, especially livestock farmers, are facing the major problem of procuring feed machines for production. I believe the best way the government can help is by subsidizing the price of feed machines. While raw materials for agriculture can be sourced, acquiring the machines is not as simple."

"If the government can subsidize the high cost of purchasing feed machines for fish production, as a palliative measure, perhaps through a partial payment program, it would be sufficient. If fish farmers can access these machines and start producing feed for themselves, hunger will be drastically reduced."

"The cost of feed has tripled since last year, affecting business operations to the extent that sometimes we cannot even sell our produce because we are uncertain about the pricing. We anticipate further increases in feed prices by the end of the month, which is a significant concern."

"If the government intervenes in this aspect and enables us to produce our feed, even if it's for our own use, it would be a major advantage. This way, we would know exactly what we are getting and could make food available to others by acquiring machines at subsidized rates."

"Selling our products at subsidized rates would also help reduce the current hunger crisis. The machines are very expensive. Even a small one suitable for average-sized farms like ours costs around three thousand dollars or more."

"While foreign feed is often recommended for small farms, there is no significant difference between foreign and locally sourced feed. It's mainly about increasing the protein content, usually with fish meal."

"We have companies producing feed in Nigeria, but they also source raw materials, making the feed quite expensive. So, we often resort to buying feed."

According to him, the raw materials for feed production are not expensive and can be sourced locally by livestock farmers. These include cassava for carbohydrates, corn, fish oil, fish products like bone and body, among others.

"These are items farmers can easily obtain. If we receive the subsidy we are requesting, it will help improve other aspects of agriculture because we can buy from people cultivating cassava for our raw materials. You can find almost everything there; there is nothing foreign about the feed; it is what you can get here," he explained.