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Poultry farmers in Kogi are to individually get packaged loan amounting to N4.2 million for egg production under the Federal Government National Egg Production (NEGPRO) Scheme.
Chief Tunde Badmus, the Scheme Manager and National Anchor of the programme, disclosed this at a Town Hall Interactive Meeting with poultry farmers in Lokoja on Friday.
Badmus said that NEGPRO had commenced operations in six pilot states including Kogi.
He said 150 poultry farmers had been registered in Kogi for the loan as approved by the Federal Ministry of Agricultural, the Central Bank of Nigeria ( CBN) and the Bank of Agriculture (BOA).
According to him the scheme was to create employment for serious-minded unemployed Nigerians who would also become employers’ of labour.
“Intending beneficiary must have a farm that can take about 2,000 pullets, be motorable and accessible as well having basic knowledge about poultry farming and also belongs to poultry association of Nigeria (PAN).
“The personal interactions with intending beneficiaries today would be followed by assessment visit to farms by the technical committee ,” Badmus said.
Mr Sunday Okwori, a representative of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), applauded Kogi farmers for working hard to be among the first six pilot States to benefit from the NEGPRO.
Okwori said that the each farmer would access about N4.2 million worth of cash and farm input as loan with nine per cent interest rate at a gestational period of 30 months.
He warned political and portfolio farmers not to bother themselves registering as according to him, they would be exposed.
He however urged the intending beneficiaries to ensure repayment of the loan as at when due.
Earlier, Mr Oluwafemi Bolaji, the State Anchor of NEGPRO, said the scheme was established by the federal government to create jobs, eradicate hunger, alleviate poverty, and improve the well being of the people.
He said the scheme was expected to create one million jobs, produce about 50 million eggs daily by 2018, and be sufficient in production of egg powder and schools feeding programme.
“This scheme will help to advance the the capacity to feed Nigerians and also increase economic activities in rural areas.
“We will ensure that everything goes smoothly in Kogi in terms of verification, pre and post-stocking inspection, production monitoring and aggregation among others,” Bolaji said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the key stakeholders at the meeting included: BOA, FMARD, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Kogi Ministry of Agriculture, Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Company (NAIC), among others.
(NAN)
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