FG to enhance goats, sheep production in Imo

The Imo Director of the ministry and coordinator, Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA), Mr Clement Iwunze, made the resolve known during a one-day sensitisation workshop organised for goats and sheep farmers in collaboration with the Imo State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources.He said the federal government was poised to provide fattening feeds, de-wormers, salts and […]

The Imo Director of the ministry and coordinator, Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA), Mr Clement Iwunze, made the resolve known during a one-day sensitisation workshop organised for goats and sheep farmers in collaboration with the Imo State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
He said the federal government was poised to provide fattening feeds, de-wormers, salts and insecticides to farmers who are already in the business of goats, rams and sheep rearing.
He said the programme was piloted in Gombe and five other states and the redemption was 100 percent, adding that 30 states were selected for the programme.
He noted that each farmer was expected to fatten 10 rams or goats for Sallah or Christmas as the idea was to introduce farmers to commercial ruminant finishing feeds, which is a necessary healthcare for improved productivity.
He said benefiting farmers would be entitled to four bags of 25 kilogrammes of finished ruminant feed each, 10 millilitres of Acarricides, 100 millilitres of de-wormer (10 bolus), salt with each attracting 50 percent subsidy.
He said the programme was targeted at increasing meat output from current 440,109 metric tonnes to 585,785 metric tonnes as well as increase animal population from 92.043 million to 119.66 million, thereby generating over 450,000 jobs in the country.
Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr Frank Ibezim, while declaring the workshop open urged the farmers to be proud of their profession, assuring that arrangements were made for the farmers to work in conjunction with the agric extension workers in the state in a programmed tagged the Imo Agric Core Scheme.