Federal Government donates animal health centre to Ogun

The Federal Government has officially handed over a newly constructed animal primary health centre to the Ogun state government to enhance animal health and livestock production.

Located at Ajegunle Farm Settlement, Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State, the centre was facilitated by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and handed over to Governor Dapo Abiodun yesterday at the farm settlement.

The governor hinted that other agricultural activities held earlier this year included partnership agreement signing ceremony/turning of the sod for backward integration plan with Fan Milk Plc; harvesting of SAWAH Eco-Technology dry season rice demonstration farm; goats and ruminants plague vaccination, commissioning of Agroshop, pre-season multi-location batch C training for cassava in the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme for young people, training of youth fish farm clusters on aquaculture value chain opportunities and Federal Government/Ogun training of extension workers.

He pointed out that the timing of the donation of the Primary Animal Health Centre to the state could not be more apt than now when the state government was deliberately supporting livestock value chain activities to ensure food security, job creation, agricultural industrialization, and food/nutrition.

Abiodun said as the largest producer of eggs and broilers, and having the biggest clusters of primary producers of poultry and allied products for industries in other parts of the country and West African Sub-Region, the primary animal health center, donated by the Federal Government, would further enhance the enabling environment and support for investment and entrepreneurship activities in livestock and related value chains.

“As we approach the 2021 growing season with a renewed focus on agricultural interventions, Ogun State government will continue to facilitate partnerships that will support our agricultural agenda in food crops, livestock, and related activities.

“The decision of the state government to provide land, infrastructure, and security support to this project, in one of our farm settlements known for livestock value chain activities, especially poultry and piggery, and which is also in proximity to other livestock entrepreneurship activities at other locations in the state capital, will promote and support the renewed interest of our people is benefitting from the agricultural support activities of Ogun State, which has been acknowledged by stakeholders to be responsive and targeted at real beneficiaries,” he said.

The gesture, he said, also supported the state’s determination to take agricultural value chain intervention activities to farm settlements as the first step in bringing these facilities to life, to pave way for other intervention activities.

“I wish to appreciate the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, ably led by the Honourable Minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, for the selection of Ogun State as a beneficiary state of the Primary Animal Health Centre”.

“Ogun State Ministry of Agriculture will make the best use of this facility to supplement similar facilities at Ita-Eko, Sagamu, Ota, and nine other locations across the state to support agricultural value chain activities and livestock entrepreneurship,” the governor promised.