The federal government said on Tuesday, January 9, that egg production, processing and marketing could create no fewer than one million jobs through its National Egg Production (NEGPRO) Scheme.
Chief Audu Ogbeh, the minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, made this known in Abuja at a meeting with the Technical Committee on National Egg Production.
Ogbeh expressed optimism that the country would be self-sufficient in egg production through the scheme, by which poultry value chain would be developed across the 36 states of the country including FCT.
The minister said the scheme would be inaugurated in Ondo state and subsequently in other states of the country.
“The ministry will work with the committee and with the support of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), we will achieve the goal of the scheme.
“Unless we deal with the problem of food, Africa cannot survive,’’ he said.
The chairman of the committee, Mr Toyin Taiwo, said in a document that the scheme was aimed at strengthening egg production, processing and consumption in the country.
Taiwo, who is also the Director, Animal Husbandry in the ministry, said the scheme would help diversify the economy and increase the contribution of agriculture to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
“The scheme is for the period of five years and at full operation nationwide, it is expected to provide about 50 million table eggs daily for local consumption, export, processing into egg powder for use in confectioneries and pharmaceuticals,’’ he said.
Chief Tunde Badmus, the Chairman of Tuns Farms Limited and National Anchor of the scheme, said that farmers would be given loans by the CBN to kick start egg production across the country after the flag off of the programme in states.
He listed the facilitators of the scheme to include Bank of Agriculture, the Poultry Association of Nigeria, CBN and the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that in 2016, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tuns farms to develop the scheme to improve nutrition and egg production across the country.
Ogbeh also said the federal government would also engage in establishing both cashew and cocoa plantations to boost production and export in 2018.
The minister mentioned that fertilizer blending would also be improved to accommodate micro-nutrients in the product.
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