London, Dec. 25, 2019 (AltAfrica)- In its bid to increase food production and create employment opportunities for the teeming youths, the Ogun State Government has kicked off its Broiler Empowerment Program with the delivery of 54, 000 day old chicks for 54 beneficiaries

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The Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Dr. Adeola Odedina, who led a team from the Ministry of Agriculture to take stock of the broiler birds at the Odeda Training Farm Institute, Odeda, noted that the empowerment would be based on Public Private Partnership arrangement with the government providing necessary poultry infrastructure.

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AlternativeAfrica.com learnt that Ministry of Agriculture is providing technical support to the project which was designed to meet the demand for poultry meat, reduce importation of frozen poultry products as well as create source of livelihood for young agripreneurs through cluster farming

Dr Odedina noted that the expected output of between 216,000 to 324,000 broiler birds per annum would reduce importation of livestock products into the state, thereby increasing the State’s Internally Generated Revenue.

Dr. Odedina said with 1,000 birds, each beneficiary would earn a minimal profit of about ₦130,000 per cycle of production, noting that there is the option of buy-back as off-takers like, Amobyn Farms Limited, will mop up all birds produced through a financing window by the Bank of Industry and Farmermoni Loan Program for Agriculture.

The former Mapoly Rector further submitted that the success of the pilot phase would encourage replication in other two senatorial districts of the State, engaging over 500 agripreneurs with an estimated output of over 800,000 broiler birds per annum.

“The project is located at the Odeda Farm Institute, Eweje where the State Government had constructed six (6) poultry pens of 9,000 birds capacity, with an output of 54,000 broiler birds per round of 6 weeks.

“54 beneficiaries were trained for the programme, while 46 of them have received their loan of ₦900, 000 each.The expected minimum and maximum deliverable per annum from the project is 216, 000 birds (4rounds/annum) and 324,000 birds (6rounds /annum) respectively.

“The expected output of between 216,000 to 324,000 broiler birds per annum will reduce importation of livestock products in the country as it will also create over 150 direct and indirect jobs for youths in the state,” Odedina said.