From Judex Okoro, Calabar
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) alongside the federal government and other partners have donated 16,000 day-old chicks to emerging poultry farmers in Cross River state.
The partners are working under the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises-Niger Delta (Life – ND) project in collaboration with the Niger Delta Development Commission.
The State Project Coordinator of Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises-Niger Delta (Life -ND) the project, Innocent Moses, who disclosed this in Calabar while giving an update on the project, said 37 youths have been provided with 16,000 day-old chicks and each person has an average of 492 chicks.
“Similarly, 1,160 others have been trained and some of them have been provided with working capital.
“Besides, 339 hectares of land has been surveyed for the project and 5.7 lkm of Earth roads have been completed”, he said.
He explained that the project has a twelve years life span which is broken into two phases and is targeting 4,250 people.
He listed the ten local government areas in the state including Akpabuyo, Akamkpa, Biase, Yakurr, Obubra, Ikom, Ogoja, Yala, Obanliku and Obudu as beneficiaries.
Accorsing to him, the overall goal of the project is ” to realise a transformed rural economy in which the rural population can drive prosperity a d equal benefit.”
The total budget outlay for the project is $94 million with IFAD providing $60 million while other partners will provide $34million.