Production inputs and feed-processing equipment have been distributed to farmers’ unions and clusters in Zamfara State by the Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRESS).
The intervention covers feed-processing machines and improved pasture seeds aimed at boosting animal productivity and addressing challenges of access to animal feed.
The animal husbandry officer of L-PRESS in Zamfara, Dr Mukhtar Salihu Anka, disclosed this yesterday during the distribution of the input at the L-PRESS office in Gusau, the state capital.
Anka said the intervention was designed to improve livestock productivity by equipping farmers with the needed inputs.
He said the equipment comprised crushers, choppers, grinders and pellet machines, as well as improved pasture seeds.
According to him, over 40 livestock unions and several farmer clusters across the state will benefit from the project
He listed some of the benefitting clusters as Bulunku, Daza, Gidandutsi and Kuraji, where large numbers of livestock farmers are concentrated.
Anka said that 100 crushers, 100 choppers, 50 grinders, and 50 pellet machines will be distributed, along with more than 1,000 sacks of improved pasture seeds, including Brachiaria, Mucuna, and Lablab varieties.
He urged beneficiaries to use the items judiciously to improve productivity and warned against selling the equipment.
He added that beneficiaries had been trained on proper utilisation of the intervention and would be monitored to assess its impact.
He said the project is supported by the World Bank and urged beneficiaries to make effective use of the facilities to benefit the state’s livestock sector.
In his remarks, the Provost of the College of Agriculture and Technology, Bakura, Nasiru Nuhu Anka, described the intervention as timely, saying it would support agricultural education and livestock production in the state.
Nasiru Anka said the institution received a grinder, crusher, and chopper, which would be used for research, practical demonstrations, and training students in modern feed processing methods, including preserving feed for dry-season use.
Earlier, the Financial Secretary of the National Association of Cattle Dealers, Processors and Marketers of Nigeria, Zamfara State chapter, Bilyaminu S. Fawa, commended L-PRESS for the intervention.
Fawa said the support would benefit cattle dealers, processors, livestock farmers and butchers across the value chain, noting that the project had previously renovated abattoirs, constructed ranches and supported cattle markets across the state.
Other beneficiaries commended L-PRESS for the intervention, saying it would boost their businesses.
L-PRESS is a six-year World Bank-supported project being implemented in Nigeria to transform the livestock sector through improved productivity, resilience, commercialisation and institutional capacity.
