The Ogun Government has assured its commitment toward bridging the gap in poultry production.
Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Bolu Owotomo, gave the assurance in Abeokuta on Wednesday when he led a World Bank delegation to inspect ongoing construction of a 100,000-capacity broiler facility at Eweje Farm Settlement, Odeda.
According to him, the project is being executed under the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP), a World Bank-assisted programme.
Owotomo added that the project included five residential apartments of four bedrooms each and three industrial boreholes.
He expressed satisfaction with the quality and pace of work done, describing it as a major step toward food security.
He said “the Gov . Dapo Abiodun-led administration is determined to reposition the poultry sub-sector for greater productivity.
“In Nigeria, we are only able to meet about 30 per cent of our demand for chicken consumption.
“But if this facility produces five times a year, we will have enough birds annually, in line with the aspirations of our governor to increase food security in Ogun State and the entire country.”
He noted that the project would also generate employment opportunities and stimulate development in Odeda Local Government and surrounding communities, as similar poultry projects were being executed in other parts of the state to complement the Eweje facility.
He explained that “a 20,000-capacity poultry pen is under construction in Ijebu Igbo, while 10,000-capacity pens are being developed in Ilaro and Ajegunle farm settlements.”
On her part, Dr Oluseyi Olugbire, the Project Manager of the Agriculture Sector component of OGSTEP, lauded the progress achieved so far, saying the World Bank-assisted programme was already yielding positive results.
Olugbire commended the bank and the state government for the vision and support, assuring that the project would significantly contribute to agricultural transformation and food sufficiency in the state and even beyond.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a broiler is any chicken that is bred and raised specifically for meat production.(NAN)(www.
