Edo L-PRES Trains 75 Beneficiaries On Livestock Productivity

Edo L-PRES Trains 75 Beneficiaries On Livestock Productivity 

Iduozee Efe Paul, Benin 

The Edo State Government, on Monday kicked-started the training of 75 livestock farmers on capacity building on comprehensive business model for pasture development.

The participants drawn from the three Senatorial Districts in the State are  expected to be trained on poultry, piggery, and Small Ruminants; sheep and goats farming in a 3-day training.

Declaring the training under under the aegis of 'Edo State Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRESS)' open, the Permanent Secretary, Edo State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Peter Osagie, said the programme os not on timely but strategic.

Osagie stated that the high cost and poor availability of quality pasture has continued to undermine livestock productivity in the country, saying that the challenges have driven up production costs, discouraged youth involvement, and exacerbated insecurity.

 "Today’s workshop is designed to change that narrative. It offers us an opportunity to build the capacity of our stakeholders and equip them with practical tools to develop scalable and profitable pasture-based enterprises.

"This workshop aligns fully with the agricultural transformation agenda of His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, “the Apostle of Practical Governance”. 

"Under his visionary leadership, the State Government has committed a bold N70 billion to agriculture in the 2025 budget.

According to him, feed remains the single largest cost in livestock production, accounting for up to 70 percent of total inputs.

The permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Edo state, who was represented by Dr. Icomiare Adebudo, Senior Consultant, M.A.F.S, noted that through innovations such as the training, the state government is taking deliberate steps to cut  costs and improve profitability for the farmers.

"With the establishment of a new Veterinary Hub in Benin City and the cultivation of partnerships across Africa and Latin America, we are laying the foundation for a modern, competitive livestock sector that can contribute significantly to Edo’s GDP", he concluded.

In her remarks, the Edo State Coordinator of Livestock Productivity and resilience Support Project (L-PRES) Ikpikhumi Betsy, said the capacity building would help to increase the farmers productivity and the money they will realise from their farm inputs. 

Ikpikhumi said looking at the weather condition on climate change and how they will be trained on how they can plant crops that will be resilient by climate change to be used by farmers.

" This will help to increase the farmers productivity and the money they will realise from their farm produces. Also, it would go a long way to reduce the plight of farmers and herders clash and fight in Edo state," she stressed.

Speaking to the participants during the training session, a Crop- Livestock Specialist, Centre for Dryland Agriculture, Bayero University, Kano, Dr. Hakeem Ajeigbe, said the capacity building would focus on 60% practical on how to rear livestock in modern ways.

Dr. Hakeem Ajeigbe who served as Lead Consultant, Synergy Impact Consultants Limited and Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA), asserted that, the participants will be train on important of climate change.

" We are going to do 60% practical because it is adult class. We will taking them through the importance and the impact of climate change.  We know is a reality and how it affecting  the crops production, pastures production and the livestock production.

" Both in terms of productivity of the livestock production. The processes of crops and livestock production , the reproductivity of the livestock and the disease, the nutrition of the livestock and what to do. We are going to take them through this basic rudiments.

" How to prepare for it, preserve and store the pastures. The marketing aspect of it is very important. Processing the livestock products also, if time permits we look at the association and the strategy of the group," he added.

Some of the beneficiaries spoke, Mr. Christopher Ota-Ufuah, from Ovia North East local government area, said as an extension agent they are trained to train other farmers at the grassroots.

"As an extension agent, we are trained to train farmers. Our aims is to disseminate information that we learn from workshop like this to the farmers at the grassroots."

For Grace Isemede, said the training will benefit them, and said she has been on the livestock business right from her youth days.

" I like rearing chicken, goat and sheep and I have them many. The people also came to access and interview me to know the number of livestock I have.

" They also told me to document the livestock in my farm. I saw the capacity building as an avenue for me to learn more about livestock trade. There are time the animals will feel sick and die. We don't know what to do, with this training now we now know what do," she stated.