The state governor, Godwin Obaseki has said that his administration working with Amo Farm Sieberer Hatchery Limited and Heifer International, would have empowered 500,000 poultry farmers by 2030.
He disclosed this during the ground-breaking ceremony of the Heifer-supported 10,000 per day Amo Farm Poultry Processing Plant located at Obayantor, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo.
“Today, we are putting a processing facility that will help hatch chickens so that farmers will come and buy, and they will support them with feeds, veterinary products.
“And once they have grown their chickens, they will buy back from the farmers and the farmers can go on with their normal jobs with this as a side business,” Obaseki said.
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The Country Director of Heifer international, Rufus Idris stated that the partnership was to support 200,000 farmers by 2025 and 500,000 farmers by 2030.
He explained that the initiative would impact about 500,000 farmers, create more than 850 jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities for youths and women.
“Under this partnership, Amo Farm Sieberer Hatchery Limited is to establish a standard poultry processing plant, starting with a 10,000 chicken per day capacity.
“Nigeria consumes about 1.5 million tons of chicken annually but only 30 per cent of that is produced locally.
“Nigeria’s Poultry sector, a $4.2 billion industry, is witnessing a rise in demand for poultry meat and egg driven by increasing population and urbanisation,” he said.
Also speaking, the Managing Director Amo Farms, Ayoola Oduntan, represented by Alaba Yunusa, Oduntan negotiations for the plant had been ongoing since 2017.