BENIN CITY – Off-takers, mostly processors of poultry, are working on overdrive in Edo State with the delivery of over 60,000 birds from six farm clusters, which benefitted from a support package provided by the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The off-takers are integral part of the de-risking deal with the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing system for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), to ensure that farmers in the scheme are assured of ready buyers for their products as well as other safeguards to maneuver the uncertainties with the value-chain.
In a statement, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said the success of the scheme as well as other agricultural projects supported by the CBN in the state is as a result of the expert handling of the support programme by the state government to ensure that the intervention gets to the end-users and the impact is felt.
According to him, “The Edo State Government is very concerned about protein production in the state, which helps in curbing malnutrition and other health related challenges. This aligns with our agricultural development programme. Much of th effort is anchored on our agriculture, forestry and food security programme.
“The poultry farmers were split into 6 clusters and provided with a loan guaranteed by the NIRSAL. With the arrangement, the farmers are provided with vaccines, feeds and other extension services.”
“The off-takers are currently processing the broilers for meat and are impressed with the output from the farmers in the agripreneur scheme. Over 6,000 birds were sent in for processing and the farmers have gotten their proceeds from the investment,” he added.
He noted that the programme is anchored in the Office of the Special Adviser on Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security Programme, responsible for coordinating the roll-out of the second phase after the success of the first phase of the project.
