The Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, has stated that his government is prepared to use crop and livestock production to provide income and long-term employment prospects for the populace.
This was revealed by the governor on Friday in Ado-Ekiti at the launch of the Livestock Production and Resilience Support (L-PRES) Project Steering Committee.
According to him, the government will use every chance presented by the initiative to boost the targeted livestock production systems’ productivity and commercialization while fortifying the livelihoods of individuals impacted by disputes between farmers and herders.
In order to guarantee public health and safety, Governor Oyebanji explained that the L-PRES project, which is a World Bank-assisted project in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as well as the State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, has emerged as a viable option for restructuring and upgrading the poultry facilities at Livestock Development Centre (LDC) Erifun to a livestock agribusiness center that would accommodate various livestock value chain.
The governor said that a modern cattle market would be established as a significant source of income production and job possibilities in the state, and that the state’s veterinary clinics will be refurbished and outfitted with state-of-the-art illness testing kits.
He continued by saying that because the initiative has the potential to improve the state’s already-existing cattle value chains, his government is in favor of its execution.
The governor insisted that the project will not only benefit farmers’ livelihoods but also the state’s agricultural environment and that his government had devised measures to present the state as an attractive investment destination for agro-investors.
The Governor urged people, organizations, cooperative societies, and investors along the state’s livestock value chain development to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity and to invest in the project, even as he charged the Committee with providing policy guidelines, strategic orientation, and direction for the project in the state.
“Ekiti State will strategically utilize L-PRES to establish robust institutions centered around agro-economic development, resolving conflicts and addressing grievances, enhancing capacity, providing extensive extension services, building or renovating infrastructure for livestock, and assisting in the provision of working capital to investors.”
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Boluwade Ebenezer, had earlier expressed his delight that Ekiti State had been chosen to participate in the project. He thanked the Governor for his dedication to the development of sustainable commercial animal agriculture in the state.
