The Ogun State Government has announced the acquisition of a facility capable of producing an additional 1.3 million birds annually, following the construction of a 5,000-bird-per-day poultry processing plant at Ajegunle Farm Settlement in Odeda Local Government Area under the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP).
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Bolu Owotomo, disclosed this on Thursday during a visit to Ajegunle Farm Settlement, Eweje Farm Institute, and Odo Fufu in Odeda and Yewa South Local Government Areas, marking the first phase of his facility tour of ongoing and completed agricultural projects across the state.
Owotomo said the state government remains committed to supporting farmers and scaling up food production, explaining that Ajegunle Farm Settlement has been designated as a poultry hub and currently accommodates about 400 resident farmers engaged in different aspects of poultry production and related activities.
He said newly provided complementary facilities at the settlement, including blast freezers, cold rooms, waste processing facilities, a warehouse with fitted offices, and poultry pens with a combined capacity of 20,000 birds, have continued to attract private sector interest and investment.
According to the commissioner, a private investor has just completed the construction of a 13,000-capacity poultry pen at the settlement, a development he said further underscores the growing economic importance of the facility to Ogun State’s agricultural value chain.
Owotomo revealed that the state, through OGSTEP, has completed 28 agricultural projects across Ogun State in the last two years, adding that other intervention programmes such as the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), OG-CARES, and the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) have also contributed to revitalising the sector.
“These projects are aimed at increasing food productivity, improving farmers’ livelihoods, and reducing post-harvest losses in Nigeria, which are currently estimated at N3.5 trillion annually,” he said.
The commissioner explained that Nigeria’s per capita chicken consumption ranges between 1.7kg and 2kg, compared to 13kg in Ghana, 36kg in South Africa, and 46kg in Brazil, stressing that despite importing about 70 per cent of its poultry needs, the country still lags significantly in overall consumption levels.
At the Eweje Farm Institute, where 10 poultry pens capable of producing 10,000 birds each and five four-bedroom residential buildings have been constructed, Owotomo assured that sustained investment in agricultural infrastructure would further strengthen Ogun State’s position as Nigeria’s leading poultry hub.
He also said that at Odo Fufu in Ilaro, where a cassava processing facility has been constructed to serve numerous farmers, the project would enhance value addition, reduce waste, and improve farmers’ incomes across the area.
“On sustainability, we are encouraging farmers to take ownership of these facilities. There will be strong monitoring and evaluation by the ministry, alongside Public-Private Partnerships, to ensure long-term viability,” he said.
In their separate remarks, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Angel Adelaja, and the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Kehinde Jokotoye, affirmed that the projects would significantly boost productivity and strengthen the state’s economy.
Also speaking, the Principal of Odeda Training Institute, Mr. Ademola Benco, and the Chairman of Ajegunle Farm Settlement, Mr. Rotimi Sogunle, described the projects as unprecedented and first of their kind, noting that full utilisation would further boost agricultural production in Ogun State and Nigeria at large.
The commissioner was accompanied on the tour by the Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Waliu Owode, and directors from the ministry.
