Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has officially commissioned the 55,500 capacity Abia Poultry Cluster at Umunna-Nsulu for the Abia Central Senatorial Zone,under the Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme (AADS) with a call on major stakeholders in the state to use poultry training and farming as a form of empowerment tool for the teeming youths.
Built by the state government in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),the cluster will serve as one of the sites for the implementation of the Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme (AADS) of the central Bank of Nigeria and is envisaged to bring a quantum leap in poultry production in Abia, create employment, generate wealth both for the people and the state government.
Speaking at the event, Governor Ikpeazu who assured that the cluster would be replicated in all the three Senatorial zones of the State, charged the LGA Chairmen to provide pens for potential farmers in their respective LGAs.
He said that his administration decided to tow the path of training youths in poultry farming because of the need for the farmers to understand the dynamics of poultry farming so as to be successful in the business,adding that trainees at the centre will be taught the rudiments of Poultry farming,feed production,and Abia Marketing Board in line with the objectives of the scheme would assist the farmers in selling their products.
The Governor urged Abians to patronize the Abia poultry feeds produced by the cluster and disclosed that the feed has been subsidized to 2,000 naira only per bag for the farmers.
He commended the CBN for its efforts in tackling food insecurity and job creation in Nigeria and urged beneficiaries of the AADS programme to utilize the training opportunity to better lives.
Representative of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Ogbuagu Camilus while commending Abia state for being the first State in Nigeria to key into the CBN Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme, assured the Governor that the CBN would sustain the partnership with a view to ensuring that the objectives for initiating the project is realised.
In his speech,the Commissioner for Agriculture,Prof Ikechi Mgbeoji said the cluster will provide direct and indirect employment for over 10,000 youths, along all the value chains in the poultry industry.
According to him,1,000 youths have been profiled by the Central Bank to benefit from the AADS, out of which 220 are currently participating at the cluster, adding that each of the participants would be allocated birds from the about 55,500 birds already stocked at the cluster.
He commended the host community for their generosity in providing 3.4 hectres of land needed the project as well as the state government for it’s agricultural revolution across the state and urged trainees of the AADS programme to effectively utilize the opportunities extended to them by the state government to carve out an economic niche for themselves by being diligent in their duties and fulfilling their obligations as outlined in the article of engagement.
Also speaking, the outgoing Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Solicitor General of the State, Lady Uzoamaka Ikone revealed that the infrastructure in the cluster comprises of an administrative building containing three training halls, 26 office rooms, including self-contained rooms that will be used in housing trainees, 69 Poultry pens with 55,500 birds capacity.
Earlier, the Project Manager, Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme, Igwe Nomso Ogbunamiri said that apart from the poultry clusters to be established across the three senatorial zones of the State, approval has been given for the establishment of twenty five capacity poultry cluster in the seventeen LGAS of the State, in addition to setting up poultry processing plants to mop up all birds produced in the State.
