Anambra State Government has disclosed plans to boost livestock through the establishment of Livestock Productivity And Resilience Support Project(L-PRES) a World Bank assisted production project targeted towards development of the sector.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon Nnamdi Onukwuba, made this known while speaking with newsmen shortly after the commemoration of this year’s World Food Day at the Dr Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka.
He said the state had keyed into the project after submitting an expression of interest to the federal Ministries of Finance and Agriculture to take part in the project.
“We are now one of the nine states in the nation approved in the phase one of the project. Under the L-PRES project, we are going to champion cattle production (Efi Igbo), poultry and piggery,” he said.
According to him, the state government is anxiously waiting for World Bank support to enable it embark on full implementation of the project.
Also speaking, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mrs Stephanie Keri Uzor explained that stakeholders including poultry farmers Association,Pig Farmers and Cattle Rearers have been sensitized and engaged to achieve the desired result.
On his part, the Desk Officer, Anambra State L-PRES Project, Mr Chinedu Nwankwo, said the project aimed at promoting value chain of livestock to enable people have access to its products in the state.
He mentioned three major implementation targets to include strengthening institutions involved in promoting animal production with consequential value chain activities across it and to help mitigate conflicts that could emanate as a result of livestock rearing.
He lauded the government under the watch of Gov Obiano, Commissioner for Agriculture and the Permanent Secretary for their sustained effort to ensure full implementation of the project through provision of support services.
He expressed optimism that within the first quarter of year 2021 the project must have started making exploits in the state as the expected negotiations between the World Bank and Federal Government with Minstry of Finance might have been concluded to take it to the next level.
