NALDA Empowers 200 Nasarawa Youth, Women With Poultry Farm Inputs

***News in brief:

• Over 200 beneficiaries in Nasarawa State received poultry farm inputs from Nigeria's agricultural land development agency as part of an initiative to boost youth and women participation in agribusiness.
• They received free bird cages, birds, and feed, and were encouraged to help to curb chicken imports, save foreign exchange, and create local employment opportunities.*** Nigeria’s National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has distributed poultry farm inputs to 200 beneficiaries in Nasarawa State. The move is aimed at boosting youth and women participation in agribusiness and promote sustainable agriculture.

The initiative, implemented through NALDA's Home-Grown Poultry Programme, targeted residents across various local governments within the state. Beneficiaries, who converged at the Emir's Palace in Lafia, the state capital, received free start-up packages. These packages consisted of 3-tier bird cages, 25 birds and 3 bags of feed, capable of sufficiently nourishing the birds till maturity. NALDA's Executive Secretary, Prince Paul Ikonne, represented by Engineer Olusegun Owolabi, Head of Engineering, emphasised the project's revolving nature and stressed the importance of beneficiary commitment for its sustainability. He further highlighted the project's potential to curb chicken imports and save foreign exchange. Ikonne stressed the need to focus on the business and ensure that jobs are no longer exported as is the case when food is imported. "For every local thing we consume, we create employment for someone, somewhere in the country," he said. Additionally, he reiterated the agency's  support of the total ban on frozen chicken imports. He said it was a necessary policy to expand the poultry industry, reduce unemployment, and boost the national economy through individual empowerment and increased poultry production. Meanwhile, the Emir of Lafia and Chairman of the Nasarawa Council of Chiefs, Justice Sidi Muhammed (Rtd), expressed his gratitude for the project. He applauded NALDA’s recognition of the traditional institution’s role in facilitating and executing the project. The Emir assured the agency of the palace’s preparedness in working together, stressing that they will do their best to justify the choice that they have made. Recognising Nasarawa State's potential as an agricultural hub, the Emir encouraged NALDA to consider further interventions in the state. Beneficiaries expressed their optimism about the initiative's impact on their poultry business, particularly alleviating the financial burden of purchasing feed at inflated market prices.