Poultry farmers under the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration’s agripreneur programme have continued to count their gains, as poultry processors in the state have purchased a total of 125,000 birds from 11 farm clusters in the state’s broiler breeding scheme.
The new figures are an improvement from the earlier reports that the off-takers bought off 60,000 birds from the beneficiaries of the scheme, which is targeted at improving protein production in the state to fight malnutrition and other health-related challenges.
The new figures were polled from the activities of broiler breeders in Benin metropolis, where the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agriculture Lending (NIRSAL), provided support in de-risking investment in farms operated in Oredo, Ikpoba Oka and Egor Local Government Areas (LGAs).
According to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, “We have recorded impressive success with the broiler breeding programme as we did with the rice production. For poultry, our partner, NIRSAL, ensured that the farmers get the best out of the partnership by de-risking the investment.
“As at Wednesday, word got to us that the birds were about 60,000, but the off-takers have increased the purchase to 125,000, which covers a substantial part of the birds that were bred.”
He said the bird breeding programme was designed in such a way that the farmers are provided with needed inputs and extension service to ensure that there are no loses.
He added, “A lot of the farmers are seeing such a scheme work perfectly for the first time. The second phase of the programme has already commenced, with calls for new participants in the scheme.”
Noting that the agripreneur programme is anchored at the Office of the Special Adviser on Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security Programme, he said the state government has expertly managed the support to the farmers for maximum impact.
