Mrs Mercy Oza-kpolor, a beneficiary of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-Livelihood Family Enterprises in Delta (LIFE-ND), has called on the three tiers of government to empower poultry farmers on feed production.
Oza-kpolor made the call on Monday on the sidelines of media tour of IFAD-LIFE-ND facilities in Oza-Nogogo community, Ika South Local Government Area (LGA), Ibusa-Asaba, Delta.
She said such gesture would go a long way in addressing high cost of feed, boosting their income and enhancing consumption of protein by the populace.
She decried the exorbitant cost of feed, describing it as threat to sustainable poultry production.
“In 2021, I was among the lucky beneficiaries of LIFE+ND project, and on completion of the training, I was powered with 500 birds and 50 bags of feed.
“Then, we were buying a 25kg bag of feed for N6,000, N10,000, N14,000 and N15,000, but now we are buying just a bag for N25,000 and this is a big challenge to us as farmers.
“Government should please come to our aid and proffer lasting solution to all these problems.
“Government should empower me to start producing my own feed,” she said.
The beneficiary commended IFAD-LIFE-ND for empowering her, boosting her income and providing her family with a source of livelihood.
The mother of three explained that after graduation in 2009, there was no job; she ventured into hair dressing as a source of livelihood but the venture was not sustainable.
“IFAD-LIFE-ND has helped me a lot positively; before now, when I was into hairdressing, I was just managing; I was nobody, but now I am somebody,” she said.
Oza-Kpolor, a HND holder of business administration from Auchi Polytechnic in 2009, is into hairdressing and agri-business.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the overall goal of LIFE-ND is to realise a transformed rural economy in the Niger-Delta from which the rural population can derive prosperity and equal benefit.
The project development objective is to enhance income, food security and job creation for rural youth and women through agri-enterprise development on a sustainable basis in the region.
The project operates on a methodology of locating experienced agri-entrepreneurs within the rural areas and clustering youths and women with particular interest in the enterprise of choice.
It gives beneficiaries opportunity to get hands-on learning experience within the facility of the master trainer known as incubator while the trainee is referred to as incubatee.