Edo State Government at the weekend signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Heifer International and Amor Farms Sieberer Limited to build a modular poultry processing plant that would process 10,000 poultry birds daily.
Mr Solomon Ibadon from the state ministry of Justice supervised the signing of the agreement in Benin.
Speaking during the event, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Stephen Idehenre, said the Edo State Government was committed to making the state the biggest poultry hub in Nigeria.
Idehenre said, “the essence of the MOU is to create a market for our poultry farmers. We have identified one of the problems of farmers which is the lack of access to the market.
“We have now brought in a poultry birds off-taker which is Amo farms to offtake and process about 10,000 poultry birds per day.
“Most of those abandoned poultry farms will be revived because there is now a ready market.
“If we must grow the agribusiness, we must begin to find a solution to the off-takers challenge that we have in all the agricultural value chains.
Mr Rufus Idris, the Country Director, Heifer Nigeria, said the initiative was designed to help smallholder poultry farmers earn a sustainable living income.
Idris noted that the project will increase access to premium markets, finance and new technology for Smallholder poultry farmers.
He said, “the project will improve productivity and sustainable livelihoods income for 500,000 smallholder farmers by 2030.
“The project will support market system actors to improve capacity competitiveness, and resilience and bridge the demand and supply gaps
“In this tripartite market system development partnership, the state government will provide the enabling business development environment
“Through its Edo Industrial Park and ensure that Amo Farm Sieberer Limited has sustainable access to electricity, water, access roads, and other amenities,” he said.
Idris explained that the project was being financed by Heifer International with support from Amo Farms to facilitate the setting up of a new modular poultry meat processing factory in Edo.
“The new poultry factory would offtake broiler and noiler breeds of birds produced by hundreds of thousands of smallholder poultry farmers that are targeted as beneficiaries of the project,” he added.
The Group Managing Director, Amo Farms Sieberer Limited, Dr Ayoola Oduntan, said the project would create a fair market opportunity for poultry farmers in Edo State and make the state a poultry production hub in the Niger Delta Region.
Oduntan noted that the establishment of the processing plant would have the capacity to process 10,000 poultry birds daily.
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