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Ogun, natnudO foods, BATNF empower women with 10,000 chickens

By Charles Coffie Gyamfi and Gbenga Akinfenwa, Abeokuta
22 April 2018   |   3:00 am
Ogun State Government in partnership with the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) and natnudO Foods, has empowered 1,000 women across the state with 10, 000 Noiler Chickens.     The Noiler Chicken is a new breed of chicken, taken from the Broiler and Cockrel cross breeding and it is economically valuable in the market.…

Frozen chicken

Ogun State Government in partnership with the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) and natnudO Foods, has empowered 1,000 women across the state with 10, 000 Noiler Chickens.
   
The Noiler Chicken is a new breed of chicken, taken from the Broiler and Cockrel cross breeding and it is economically valuable in the market.
 
The empowerment programme, organised through the State’s Ministry of Agriculture was aimed at increasing income for the less privileged, reduce malnutrition and make women in the state self-reliant.

 
The state Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, in his address commended the effort of BATNF for its commitment to empowering women, especially those in the rural areas.
 
Amosun who spoke through his Deputy, Chief Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga said besides empowering the beneficiaries financially, the initiative would also facilitate the development of the state “and help in the reduction of poverty rate.”
 
Speaking in the same vein, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Yetunde Adebajo said the gesture was in line with the state’s bid to fulfill its five cardinal programmes, which agricultural production and industrialisation is one of the major focus, coupled with the need to eradicate or reduce hunger to the nearest minimum among the people.
 
She stressed that the programme would also make women in the state self-reliant and would “fast track the development of the agriculture sector.”
 
The Managing Director, natnudO Foods and Amobing Farm, Dr. Ayoola Oduntan, in his speech stressed that the chickens were developed to combat malnutrition in the state.
 
He said: “Noiler is recommended to all rural communities as a source of wealth creation, as well as source of nutrition to the family and consumers.”
 
Also speaking, the Executive Director of BATNF, Mrs. Abimbola Okoya, said that apart from women, if all famers were empowered to do more, the country’s economic prosperity would be phenomenal.
 
Her words: “In a population of 186 million people and a diversified economy, agriculture contributes 70 per cent of total employment and 21.97 per cent of national GDP as at fourth quarter of 2017.

Yet, more than 70 per cent of the total farming population are smallholder farmers cultivating less than five hectares, but producing up to 90 per cent of the total national output.”

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