Govt targets self-sufficiency in poultry production by 2019

The Anambra Government has set 2019 as target to be self-sufficient in production of poultry, the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Mark Okoye, said.

Okoye made this known in Awka on Saturday, saying Anambra by 2019 will no longer require poultry products from outside the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gov Willie Obiano on Feb. 10 inaugurated a mega poultry project sitting on a 75 hectare farm in Igbariam, Oyi Council Area of the state.

He said the poultry was one of the largest in the South-East and was an equity project in which the state government contributed the land while the funding would be undertaken by a consortium of investors.

Okoye explained that Anambra prior to the inauguration of the mega poultry project had depended on poultry farms in the South-West of Nigeria for supply of eggs, day-old chicks and processed chicken.

He said that the state would become a net exporter of poultry products in two years time.

“Gov. Obiano inaugurated the largest poultry project in South Eastern Nigeria, the project is located on a 75 hectare farm in Igbariam.

“The first phase of the project has the capacity to produce 350,000 birds every six weeks and 30,000 eggs a week.

“Our target is that in two years, we would have achieved self sufficiency in poultry production thereby reducing our dependence on the South Western part of the country for eggs and frozen chicken,” he said.

The commissioner said that the poultry project was one of the first facilitated in the agriculture sector by Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency, the lead investment agency in the state.

Explaining further, Okoye said that the government also approved minority shareholding for Igbariam, the host community, to the tune of 5 per cent as dividend of the profits of the company into perpetuity.

He said this was part of the broad strategy of the state to encourage large scale agro-related projects and guaranteeing the active involvement of communities as co-owners.

Okoye said the project would create over 300 direct jobs in this phase while subsequent phases would generate another 700 direct jobs.

He urged investors in Nigeria and those intending to come into the country to make Anambra preferred destination.