By Fatima Muraina

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Ondo State Government in conjunction with the World Bank through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is set to support livestock Farmers  to boost production.

The assistance named Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support [L-PRES) Project is to last for six years with the possibility of duration extension.

This was contained in a statement released by the communication/ICT officer Mr Augustine Adeoye which was made available to the media.

According to the statement, the Project Coordinator, Mr Olufemi Adeogun who spoke at a statewide livestock Farmers Sensitization by the state Implementation Unit, (IPU) across the 18 local government areas, said only existing farmers will be supported while new ones will be considered later.

According to  Adeogun, , selected value chain and beneficiaries in the state are: poultry, swine (pig) and caprine/ovine (goat and sheep) farmers known as the producers, while others are processors and marketers of each of the value chains, thereby expanding beneficiaries scope to nine means.

“The project would provide extension and veterinary services, good animal husbandry practices, market linkages, loan among others to the beneficiaries, in order to achieve its development objective of enhancing productivity, resilience and commercialisation of the value chains and to also strengthen the country’s capacity to respond to an eligible crisis or emergency. “

 “The project is real and will capture real and existing farmers through mapping and profiling. The deployment of technology will enable the project differentiates one farm and farmer from another, because it is disallowed and impossible for two individuals to lay claim to same farm or chosen value chain.

“Also NEEDS assessment will be conducted thereafter to know your needs area of intervention. The project intervention will focus on individuals and group needs,” he added.

Farmers have been urged to form groups of at least ten individuals of the same value chain and must comprise thirty percent of female and youth as specified by the project manual.

According to him, beneficiaries must register with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry as a group with women and youth occupying thirty percent.

Some of the farmers who spoke at the event expressed happiness about the project but called for true and speedy implementation  to meet the yearnings and expectations of potential beneficiaries.

Late last year, the PIU covered Ose, Akoko North East,  Owo, Ifedore, Okitipupa, Odigbo and Ondo West Local Governments for the farmers’ sensitization, while the exercise was conducted in the rest of the Local Governments of Ondo East, Akure South, Akure North, Akoko South East, Akoko South West, Ilaje, Irele, Ese-Odo, Akoko North West, Idanre and IleOluji/Okeigbo.