Edo Hallmarks Agreement For 10,000 Poultry Birds-Per-Day Modular Plant

…Task to control over 500,000 smallholder farmers

By Simeon OSAJIE

The Government of Edo State has entered into a partnership with Heifer International and Amo Farms Sieberer Limited for the development of a modular poultry processing plant.

When accomplished, the plant would process 10,000 poultry birds daily.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Stephen Idehenre, while revealing the partnership to newsmen in Benin City, said the state government is committed to making the state Nigeria’s poultry hub.

Idehenre noted, “The essence of the partnership is to create a market for our poultry farmers. We have brought in poultry birds off-takers, which is Amo farms to off-take and process at least 10,000 poultry birds per day. Most of those abandoned poultry farms will be revived because there is a ready market now.

“If we must grow the agribusiness, we must begin to find solutions to the off-takers challenge we have in all the agricultural value chains.”

On his part, the Country Director, Heifer Nigeria, Mr. Rufus Idris, said the initiative would increase access to premium market, finance and new technology for smallholder poultry farmers.

He said, “The project will improve productivity and sustainable livelihoods income for 500,000 smallholder farmers by 2030. The project will support market system actors to improve capacity competitiveness, resilience and bridge the demand and supply gaps.

“In this tripartite market system development partnership, the state government will provide the enabling business development environment.”

 “The new poultry factory would off-take broiler and noiler breeds of birds produced by hundreds of thousands of smallholder poultry farmers that are targeted as beneficiaries of the project.”