No fewer than 160 women farmers from eight local governments area of Ogun State, under the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) have received 480 chickens and 2,160 garden seedlings, to boost food production across the state.
Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Bolu Owotomo, who stated this during the flag-off of the exercise, at OGADEP, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, said the initiative was to improve the livelihood of women farmers and enhance well-being of the people.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Kehinde Jokotoye, Hon. Owotomo, in a statement made available by the Ministry’s Press Officer, Mr. Gbenga Moronfolu, noted that empowering women in agriculture with tools and resources would not only boost household income, but also increase the availability of eggs for consumption and reduce malnutrition, thereby improving nutrition, as well as build a healthier society.
“Your commitment to agriculture and resilience are remarkable. You are the backbone of our rural economy and through your efforts, the State will continue to achieve food security and economic prosperity.
“The initiative will increase household income, with potential for families to produce an average of 30 eggs monthly to meet their nutritional needs, create the opportunity to sell surplus eggs, boost their overall well-being, as well as enable them to eat fresh, organic produce to ensure a better control of their diet with continuous access to animal protein in a sustainable manner”, he said.
Remarking, the Acting Project Coordinator, VCDP, Mrs. Temitope Ajisafe, stressed that empowering women in the state, especially in the area of nutrition of every household, would boost productivity and healthy among families, adding that the categories of women beneficiaries included, nursing mothers, youths, adults and pregnant women.
She explained that each beneficiary was given three chickens, along with their feeds, varieties of home garden seedlings and fertilisers, urging them to adhere strictly to instructions on how to use them.
On her part, the Acting Programme Manager, OGADEP, Mrs. Victoria Shobande, said the chickens and seedlings distributed such as banana, orange, sweet brown potato, among others, were carefully selected because of their high nutritional value, imploring beneficiaries to nurture them well to fully enjoy the benefits.
Speaking on behalf of other beneficiaries, Mrs. Oluwafemi Olabiran and Mrs. Barakat Olubaje, from Ijebu East and Odeda Local Government Areas (LGAs), respectively, appreciated the state government, promising that each household would make good use of the item distributed to enhance their nutrition.
Beneficiaries were drawn from Odeda, Obafemi-Owode, Ifo, Odogbolu, Ijebu North-East, Yewa-South, Yewa-North and Ijebu-East LGAs of the state.
Other seedlings distributed included, pumpkin, plantain, soursop, pawpaw, tomato and pepper.
