50 Benefit from Goat Empowerment Programme in Gombe State
Not fewer than 50 persons in Gombe State have been trained on goat production under the Rural Employment Promotion Department of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE).
According to NDE, three goats were given (two she-goats and one he-goat) to each beneficiary as a form of empowerment.
Addressing the participants, the Director General of NDE, Abubakar Fikpo, explained that goat production is an economically viable business to venture into, adding that the Directorate had previously concentrated on Goat fattening.
Represented by the Acting State Coordinator of Gombe NDE, Jediel Stephen, Fikpo noted that the livestock loan would be paid after 30 months with four goats.
He said, “Goat production is the first of its kind, you are the pioneers of this programme, this is a litmus test in 18 states of the federation. The rest will try it after your set must have been successful. You are going to be given three goats, two she-goats, one he-goat, the cash components we are going to give you, will enable you to buy and feed the goats. You will rear these goats for a period of 30 months, the first six months we will not ask you to pay loan, that’s when you will expect your she-goats to start delivering, after six months the one they have delivered will be due for another delivery then we will collect one from you this will continue for a period of two years and half. By implication NDE will give you three goats but you will pay with four goats. “You must be someone with passion for these goats, not just because you want to pick it as a means of living, you have to develop interest in it. You have to be transparent in the business and be sincere to yourself, we don’t want a situation where you will say the goat died yesterday or went astray,”
Fikpo added. Also, NDE Acting North-East Zonal Director,Moses Uba, urged the beneficiaries to leverage the programme to establish themselves. “The programme will create employment, reduce rural-urban migration, provide raw materials for leather manufacturing industries, reduce poverty and enhance the protein intake of the populace, ” Uba added.
Agro Nigeria
