Kogi State takes data of livestock farmers for food security

The Kogi  state government says it has concluded data capturing of livestock farmers across the state for intervention to boost food security.

The Commissioner for Agricultural and Food Security, Mr Timothy Ojomah, said this  in an interview on Monday, in Lokoja.

The commissioner said the data capturing, which began on Feb. 11 at Kogi West and ended at  Kogi state East on Feb. 21, was part of government’s  strategies to ensure that livestock farming received the desired attention.

Ojomah said, “with the concluded exercise by our personnel, livestock farmers across the 11 Federal constituencies of  Kogi are all captured,  and getting government’s intervention will be very easy and smooth.”

He said that in 2024,  the Kogi  government secured  World Bank Intervention funds worth billions of naira,  toward boosting livestock farming in the state.

“With the collated data, we shall, in no distant time, begin to see how we can help them grow their businesses for the  economic growth of the state and  nation.

“We are not giving the farmers cash but the state will  supply them with more of the kind of livestock they rear,  for expansion and  to  boost their businesses for the desired economic growth.

“This means that  if one is into poultry farming, more chicks will be supplied to  him or her. If it’s rearing of Goats, Sheep or Cows, more will be supplied to boost the business and not raw cash, ” he said.

According to him, the essence is for Kogi to concentrate  on food crops like Rice, Beans, Cassava. Maize, Millet or Yams but also on livestock farming for enough protein for residents and the nation at large.

Ojomah said the administration of Gov. Ahmed Ododo would  leave no stones unturned in the 2025 farming season, especially for  increased  food production and security.

NAN / Foluke Ibitomi