Aregbesola repositions Osun as new hub for livestock production

Osun State Government has taken a bold step to reposition the state as a major hub for livestock production.

Through the provision of over N500m loans to finance its Broiler Outgrowers Production Scheme (OBOPS), the state has made over 300 millionaires, according to officials.

More than 1,500 farmers are currently participating in the scheme, with five million mature birds produced within the last three years. Based on the success recorded, more than 3,000 farmers are expected to participate across the state in the next phase.

A visit to Oyeleke Farms, one of the beneficiaries of the scheme attested to the success achieved under the scheme.

The farm owner, Mrs. Abigael Oyeleke, disclosed that she started her poultry business with 250 point-of-lay birds, but through the scheme, has expanded her poultry capacity to 2,350.

It was learnt that a credit facility of N2m each was provided for the participating farmers through Sterling Bank, in form of inputs and logistics.

One of the benefits of the scheme, according to a media aide to the
Governor, Ahmed Mustafa, is the off taking, as there is ready-made market for the chickens after the cycle. He added that insurance policy is also embedded in the N2m, in case of any disaster.

Oyeleke said: “At the end of the scheme, we deduct the cost of the input and logistics provided after sales. So, they make their profit and we make ours. Before this scheme, the major problem of poultry farmers is marketing, but now we have assurance that when the birds are mature, there will be a ready market for them.”

The Guardian learned that government established standard pens across the state to assist the farmers, in addition to 7,650kg of feed distributed for free to individual farmers.

It was learnt that a guaranteed profit of N400,000 is earned by each of the farmers in six weeks per project. The beauty of the scheme is that averagely, a farmer can participate up to six times in a year, which amounts to a cool profit of N2.4m in a year.

In addition to this, more than 578 poultry farms were stocked with over 3,654,612 day-old- chicks, just as the state supported FOB venture, Ede, to increase production from 25,000 to 100,000 broilers per year. It also supported the 400 fish farmers under Osun Fisheries Outgrowers Scheme.

Under its direct intervention scheme, the state established a 78-hectare cattle hub for 10,000 cattle in Oloba farm and modern pig breeding and fattening centres at Leventis Foundation, Ilesa.