The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has reaffirmed its commitment to reducing the importation of chicken and boosting domestic production through its “Home Grown Poultry Program.”
This follows former President Obasanjo’s call to seal the borders against poultry imports and smuggling, which, according to him, will revitalize the nation’s poultry industry.
Commenting on the program, Olusegun Owolabi, the Head of Engineering and representative of the executive secretary, highlighted that the initiative strives to empower women and youth in agribusiness. The project aims to enhance their incomes and livelihoods through sustainable agriculture.
He said that the project was a step towards curbing the importation of chicken into the country and would help save foreign exchange.
He said: “We need to take over the business and ensure that we stop exporting jobs. For every product that we import, we have exported our employment, and for every local thing we consume, we create employment for someone, somewhere in the country.
“NALDA is out to sustain the total ban on the importation of frozen chicken for the poultry industry to expand, reduce unemployment, and boost the country’s economy by empowering the individual to upscale their poultry production.”
Beneficiaries were selected from the various local governments of Nasarawa state and were given a 3-tier bird cage, 25 birds, and 3 bags of feed.
Owolabi encouraged the beneficiaries to pay attention to training and guidance on how to handle the birds to maximize turnover. He emphasized that the program operates on a revolving basis, and its sustainability relies on the commitment of the beneficiaries.
Speaking further, he stressed the importance of attentiveness to the training and guidance provided for maximizing the turnover from handling the birds. He emphasized that the program is a revolving one, with sustainability and continuity subject to the commitment of the beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, the Emir of Lafia and the chairman of the Nasarawa Council of Chiefs, Sidi Muhammed, expressed gratitude to NALDA for using Nasarawa state as a conduit for making the program a reality.
“We thank you for finding the traditional institution in the state worthy, using us as the conduit pipe for translating this programme into reality. You have made the right decision.
“On behalf of the traditional rulers in the state, I want to say that we’ll do our best to justify this choice that you have made,” he said.