…..Foundation donates 6,000 birds to 300 Bauchi women
The British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation has distributed 6,000 Noiler birds to 300 women farmers to enhance livelihood and encourage poultry production in Bauchi State.
Oludare Odusanya, the General Manager of the foundation, said this at the inauguration of the distribution exercise on Tuesday in Bauchi.
Represented by Mr Sadiq Maina-Waziri, the manager said that each of the beneficiaries would receive 20 birds, a 25 kilogramme bag of feed and 100 gramme of multivitamins to enable them to engage in poultry production.
The gesture, he said, would foster independence, resilience and economic empowerment in the society.
“Poultry farming has proven to be a transformative venture, offering not only a sustainable source of income but also promoting food security and fostering a sense of social cohesion.
“By providing these resources, we aim to uplift the women of Bauchi State, providing them with tools and knowledge to build thriving businesses that will contribute to the overall prosperity of our community,” he said.
Odusanya said the foundation had expended over N1.2 billion in agricultural interventions and supported 1.3 million beneficiaries since inception in 2002 across the 36 states and the FCT Abuja.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Simon Yalams, commended the gesture, adding it was in line with the state government’s agriculture revitalisation programme.
Yalams assured continued government support to the Foundation, saying that the state would work with partners to transform agriculture, enhance wealth creation as well as youth and women empowerment.
He said the state government in collaboration with development partners had trained 1,000 youths on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), and distributed fertilisers, seeds and inputs to 3,000 farmers for rain fed and dry season activities.
The commissioner urged the beneficiaries to ensure effective utilisation of the birds and engage in productive activities.
Earlier, Dr Umar Maina, ECO-lead Imperial Engineering & Global Resource Limited, the project implementing partners, sensitised the beneficiaries on poultry best practices.
Maina enjoined the beneficiaries to ensure good hygiene, sanitation and proper feeding of the birds to enable it to grow to maturity.
One of the beneficiaries, Rufkatu Musa, commended the gesture, adding that it would go a long way to improve their social and economic wellbeing.
