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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Federal Ministry of Livestock Development (FMLD) has distributed more than 1,000 livestock feed inputs to farmers across Bayelsa State as part of efforts to improve livestock productivity and strengthen food security.
The intervention was carried out on Saturday by the ministry’s Department of Ranch and Pastoral Resources Development.
Representing the Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, the Director of Ranch and Pastoral Resources Development, Dr. Hakeem Ibilade, said the intervention was part of the ministry’s efforts to address the needs of livestock farmers across the country.
He said the programme was based on feedback from farmers in Bayelsa, stressing that the ministry was committed to a farmer-centred approach to developing the livestock sector.
Ibilade urged beneficiaries to make proper and sustained use of the inputs and encouraged them to form cooperatives and associations to improve coordination and access to future government programmes.
Also speaking, the ministry’s Zonal Coordinator, Dr. Uyobong Uko, said the items distributed included groundnut cake and salt licks aimed at improving animal nutrition and productivity.
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He said similar interventions were being implemented in other parts of the country, adding that the ministry would continue to explore measures to support livestock farmers.
“What you are receiving today is to support your livestock to thrive and perform better,” he said.
The State Coordinator, Dr. Bamigboye Segun, said the programme was designed to support food security and increase the availability of nutritious livestock products in Bayelsa.
He said improved livestock productivity would increase the supply of meat, eggs and milk, create employment and strengthen the livestock value chain, including opportunities for export-oriented products such as hides and skins.
Segun also urged farmers to pay greater attention to the nutritional value of livestock products.
The beneficiaries commended the ministry for the intervention but appealed for additional support, including production inputs, equipment and machinery to expand their operations.
The ministry, in a statement by its Deputy Director, Information and Public Relations, Henrietta Okokon, said it would continue to work with livestock farmers and other stakeholders to improve productivity, food security and job creation in the sector.
