In order to maximize the effective practice of poultry business, farmers across the nation have been urged to embrace the use of data to transform the poultry industry to manage and measure their farm production trends.
This admonition was given recently during the launch of Afarmacco, a web-based app that can help keep data on poultry farming.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Afarmacco, Ebetaleye Godfrey, lamented lack of tools among poultry farmers, saying this has hindered them from making waves in the industry.
“The farmer producing eggs is still selling egg at the rate he sold when prices were on a lower level. So, at the end of the day, they end up incurring losses,” he added.
Godfrey explained that the app carries an action planner that helps farmers keep track of what and when medication should be given to their fowls.
“We are building the ultimate trade exchange for poultry farmers in Nigeria because from what we are structuring, farmers are able to mingle with off-takers online, by so doing, the off takers would be able to see who is producing what or what they have in stocks,” he said.
He noted that the app, which can be accessed for free, also enables farmers to market their produce even before maturity.
In his address, Public Relations Officer of Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Olusola Olatunbosun, said with this, poultry farmers would have the capability of keeping and translating their operations into figures for better management of their farms.
He observed that for farmers to embrace the data-intensive approaches, the government must ensure the provision of internet access for farmers, especially those who operate in rural areas.
Olatunbosun urged government to include in the curriculum, skills necessary for graduate seeking employment in the farm.
Also, in his goodwill message, PAN Chairman in Ogun State, Idowu Asenuga, commended the efforts of the maker behind the novel initiative, adding that, “the arrival of Afarmacco into the poultry industry is timely and has the potential to change the narrative within the sector.”
A veterinary doctor, Rasheed Macaulay, who represented the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, called for concerted efforts among farmers and government to help rejig the farming system in the country in order to attract more investors.
Noting that the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was trying its best to prioritise agriculture, Macaulay however, called for more necessary support to boost the sector.