The federal government through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development yesterday inaugurated the National Egg Production (NEGPRO) scheme in Kogi State, with aim to boost poultry farming across the country.
While speaking at the inauguration in Lokoja, the National Poultry Desk Officer, Department of Animal and Husbandry Services of the ministry, Mrs. Vivian Ibe, said the scheme was aimed at creating awareness and boosting egg productions nationwide.
She explained that the essence of the scheme was to create awareness aimed at strengthening egg production, its marketing and utilisation capacity of poultry products in Nigeria.
The desk officer noted that the national egg production scheme was a five-year programme with its target to promote economic development, income, livestock and job opportunity in Nigeria.
She added that the scheme was expected to produce about 500,000 table eggs daily for local consumption, export and processing into egg powder for use in confectionery and pharmaceutical industry.
Ibe said the scheme would equally focus on the stakeholders’ engagement towards piloting, facilitating and coordinating egg production.
Also speaking, the state Coordinator of Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Shekamang Ayuba, expressed hope that the national egg production scheme would impact positively on agriculturists and farmers in the state.
In his remarks, the Kogi State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. David Apeh, commended the federal government’s initiative to establish the scheme to boost poultry farming across the country.
He thanked the federal government for selecting Kogi as one of the first states in Nigeria to benefit from the scheme.
