Animal college trains 400 in poultry production

To cushion the effect of the economic recession, the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Ibadan, Oyo State, has concluded the training of 400 people in poultry brooding, rearing, egg and broiler meat production, feed formulation and production, input supplies and marketing of poultry products. 
 
The effort, supported by the Federal Government, is aimed towards addressing challenges facing the livestock and poultry industries, as a result of high cost of feeds and others. 
 
Director of Vocational Training of the college, Mr. Femi Banjoko, said poultry production has always been profitable and sustainable and will always do if adequate training is given to farmers, saying it is capable of lifting the economy out of the woods. 
 
Banjoko said restriction on importation of poultry products and other agricultural products had created a great opportunity for enterprising Nigerian youths and graduates to use the industry as a means of tackling unemployment, poverty and importation-induced inflation.
  
He urged the participants to utilise the training, inputs and financial assistance provided by government to turn their situations and the economy around.
 
Provost of the college, Dr (Mrs) Olufunmilayo Adejinmi, said the college was determine to contribute its quota towards lifting Nigeria out of the economic situation, urging the trainees to fully explore the opportunities created by the current economic recession for good. 
 
“Kindly take all that you have acquired from here seriously and practice them so that you can contribute your quotas to putting food on the table of Nigerians at very reasonable price. For some of us that will go into processing and marketing, you have a lot of products you can bring out of poultry when you are creative. I say to you, keep producing, processing and marketing agricultural products,” she said. 
 
Representative of the Federal Government, who is the Regional Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, South West, Mrs C. A. Awe, said inward looking for a way forward points to agriculture as a major area where the country has a comparative advantage.

She urged academics, agric scientists and engineers to intensify efforts for more effective agricultural technologies to making farming simpler and more profitable.Each of the participants were kitted with 100 broiler day-old chicks, feeds and medication.