AKWA PRIME HATCHERY DISTRIBUTES 15000 BIRDS TO FARMERS




UYO-Poised to meet both local and regional demand for poultry products, the Akwa-Ibom State government has distributed an estimated 15,000 day old chicks to farmers under the 'Akwa Prime Hatchery Outgrowers Scheme'
Under the scheme, Akwa Prime Hachery and Poultry Limited, Mbiaya Uruan is partnering with poultry farmers in the state to build  the needed capacity to sustain the daily market demand for poultry products.
According to the General Manager of the company, Dr. Yakubu Bala, the scheme is aimed at raising the optimum production capacity of  poultry farmers in the state thereby making them partners with the Akwa Prime Hatchery to raise thousands of Akwa Ibom bred poultry products.
The day old chicks which are currently being hatched at the Hatchery in Mbiaya Uruan, are to be supplied to the local farmers in the state at their respective farms.
The farmers are expected to raise the birds to maturity at a maximum of six weeks, after which, the company would buyback the products and supply to a ready market.
Speaking with Journalists in his office shortly after rounding off a training session for poultry farm owners and farm attendants at the conference hall of the hatchery at Mbiaya Uruan, Dr. Bala explained that when the scheme was initiated, it was realised to be an entirely new thing in this region.
“ We are putting 15,000 birds on the outgrowers scheme into the market every week", he informed adding that the programme was initially designed to be a fifty- fifty partnership between the farmer and the hatchery but it was later decided to make it a 70-30 contribution with insurance and bank facility fully-covered in the deal.
Bala who described Akwa Ibom as the highest consumer of poultry products in the southern part of Nigeria, said so far, his company has begun the supply of processed chickens to consumers.
Conducting Journalists round the hatchery, Bala explained that the facility which is currently hatching day old chicks, has an incubation capacity of 208,000 eggs per week.
He said the scheme has led to the reduction of the cost of birds, as the Akwa Prime Hatchery and Farms now process chickens and sell to the public at very affordable rates.
"We build this business around the drive of government to make the state self sufficient in poultry production’’, he stressed.
END.

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