…empowers 54 youths with 54,000 birds
James Ogunnaike – Abeokuta
Ogun State government at the weekend commenced the third phase of its broilers projects with the empowerment of no fewer than 54 youths with 54,000 broilers birds with a promise to support the participants as commercial growers.
Speaking at the commissioning of the project, the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Adeola Odedina said each of the beneficiaries will be given 1,000 birds.
Odedina hinted that the project is most extensive youths empowerment programme in term of what the beneficiaries are entitled to, adding that the state needs serious-minded youths to pilot the agriculture programme because the message should be from youths to youths.
He explained that the participants started with 1,000 broilers each, adding that they have gone through 3,000 in 18 weeks.
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The Commissioner added that 54 youths participated and because of their success story, 9,000 youths have indicated to also participate.
According to him “If they have failed during the first and second circles, the other youths would not have shown interest.”
“Just about three weeks ago, Governor Dapo Abiodun gave approval for replication of this project in all the 20 local governments in the state.”
We are here with the same participants to launch the third circle. These participants are supposed to raise this third circle for about six weeks and still make a profit.
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We will allow the beneficiaries share their experience with the world because they are the face of agriculture not only in Ogun state but also in Nigeria at large.
We appreciate the Ogun youths for upholding poultry and broiler value chain because it’s a profitable value chain and if you blackmail it, other youths will not value it.
He, therefore, said Ogun state will come up with plans to support the participants as commercial growers.
“I have the approval with me and I’m ready to show it to the whole world that we are starting the building of poultry infrastructure and we will take at least 1, 000 per local government.”
“We are already discussing with various off-takers who will also do the same or better credit linkage so the market is here and we have enough registration.”
“By the time we start this project with other youths, existing participants will be our consultants we are not going to take trainers or teachers outside.” He concluded.
One of the beneficiaries, Ajasa Oluwatobi, lauded the project expressing his experience by feeding 9000 birds as a wonderful experience so far because he had only been a small scale farmer before.
He, therefore, encouraged youths not to only look for white-collar jobs but to use every opportunity to involve in agriculture.
