Nigeria's Kwara State government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a Syrian firm, African Chicken Farm to establish a world class poultry farm at Iponrinin, Ilorin East Local Government area of the state at the cost of $400 million.
The MoU has been described as a giant stride of the present administration at consolidating its agricultural programmes after a successful commencement of commercial farming being undertaken by the Zimbabwean farmers at Shonga in Edu Local Government area of the state.
Apart from this, the state government has also put in place a youth agricultural project located at Malete where youths numbering over 1000 have been exposed to series of farming techniques and thereby enhancing the food production in the state. However, the new poultry project was being established under a private project partnership (PPP) to be handled by a renowned Syrian farmer.
The leader of the Syrian farmers, Sebasten Clamorgan , said that the project was designed to occupy 700 hectares and would cost $400 million. Sebasten, who said he has been on the job for over 30 years, added that the company is encouraged by the success of the commercial farming being pioneered by the Zimbabwean farmers in the state.
He said the project would take off by the end of the year with a sum of $29 million as the first phase, saying it would generate employments for thousands of indigenes. Sebasten noted that the products, which would also be exported, would be far cheaper than the already existing poultry products in the Nigerian markets, adding that three million poultry would be produced on monthly basis at full capacity.
The leader also said that kwarans and indeed Nigerians will be better for it as highly skilled technical staff would be imported to handle the modern machines that would be used to do most of the jobs so as to make the work easier. Sebasten also said that the local poultry farmers would be taught modern techniques in poultry farming adding that day old chicken would be produced at the farm which he said would be the largest in west Africa .
He therefore assured the people of the state that a new lease of life would soon come to them in the highly production of subsidized chickens and other frozen food that would come form the farm.
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