The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has commenced a capacity building workshop on the livestock value chain for farmers drawn from 11 local government areas of Gombe State.
The four-day training was organised by the ECOWAS Support Programme for Livestock Marketing in West Africa (ECOWAS-PACBAO 11) and funded by Swiss Development Cooperation through ECOWAS and the Gombe State government.
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The ECOWAS-PACBAO 11 Team Lead, Dr Adetunji Jolaosho, said the project was initiated to propagate modern ways of livestock business from production to marketing.
He also said the objective was to build the farmers’ capacity to fully harness the livestock value chain, provide jobs for their women and youths and improve their income.
He said it would be done by educating them on how to upgrade their feedlot, crossbreeding and meat value chains.
“It is to modernise and upgrade the way livestock industry is operated, to minimise losses for farmers. The meat to the market is between 200kg and 250kg. This is very low because, in other places, cattle to the market are up to 600kg,” Jolaosho explained.
At the opening, the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Muhammad Magaji Gettado, said knowledge of the value chain in the livestock industry would help to harness its huge potential.
He said the opening up of the sector would help to generate employment and improve farmers’ income.
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