Stakeholders in Nigeria’s egg production sector are rallying for support to foster the growth of the Dried Egg Powder Project, with the goal of establishing Nigeria as the leading hub for egg processing in West African countries.
This call to action was made during the recent Stakeholders’ meeting of the FUNAAB-TETFund Project on Diversification of Egg Marketing and Egg Powder Production (DEMEPP), held at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB).
Speaking at the event, the Principal Investigator, Professor Taofeek Shittu, emphasised the need for support, highlighting the informality of egg marketing in Nigeria, which suffers from inadequate differentiation, a lack of essential business infrastructure, and minimal value addition.
He stated further that diversifying egg marketing options has the potential to augment the income of poultry farmers by introducing additional egg products, improved grading and packaging, enhanced processing (value addition), and the opportunity for exportation.
Professor Shittu stressed that stakeholders within the poultry sector concur that egg processing could mitigate spoilage and economic losses experienced by farmers during periods of egg gluts. According to him, presently, the Nigerian food industry predominantly relies on imported egg powder products. Encouraging local production of dried egg product promises not only to enhance the nation’s foreign revenue, but also to boost marketing efficiency and profitability for domestic egg producers.
The Managing Director, LimLim Foods, Mrs. Ade Balogun, shared insights into the benefits of egg powder production, highlighting how it could shield eggs from viruses when appropriately packaged. She underscored that dried egg powder eliminates the need for bakers to break eggshells during baking.
Mrs. Balogun also pointed out that power outages pose great challenges to dried egg manufacturers, calling for reduced taxes on imported production machinery. She encouraged Master Bakers to embrace this innovation, emphasising the significance of collaboration among stakeholders.
In recognition of this pivotal meeting, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Development, Prof. Kola Adebayo, commended Prof. Shittu for organising the event, assuring him of continued support from FUNAAB for collaboration with manufacturers and government in the dried egg sector.
Representatives of the Poultry Association of Nigeria from both Oyo State and Ogun State branches endorsed the project, and called for increased publicity and the adoption of simple local machines to engage local farmers in the production process.
Highpoint of the meeting was the display of dried egg yolk and dried egg white samples and participation from stakeholders in the poultry industry, including those enthusiastic about the potential of dried egg products.
