By PETER DURU

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN has made available the sum of N2billion to be accessed by small scale entrepreneurs in Benue state, under the Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, MSMSEs, development scheme.

Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue state, who is a member of the National Council on MSMSEs made this known shortly after inspecting the state’s swine artificial insemination breeding project, at the Akperan Orshi College of Agriculture, Yandev, AOCAY, Gboko.

“I urge small scale entrepreneurs to take advantage of the facility to enhance their businesses and also boost economic activities in the state.” Suswam advised.

The Governor said, “When I started the swine project, many persons mocked my government, but see what we have here today, we have recorded a major breakthrough in the area of artificial insemination and breeding of high grade swine for sales across the country.

“The breakthrough has made the institution the first in the West African sub-region to embark on the artificial means of collecting semen from swine and mass producing it for sale to swine farmers.”

Suswam said that government would sustain the programme and work towards making the project the best in Africa. In her speech, the Benue Swine Project Manager, Mrs. Iveren Aku said some organisations in Nigeria and abroad had indicated interest to partner the institution in the area of processing and exportation.

She disclosed that the pigs could grow to a size of 150 to 250 kg in size making it almost four times the size of the common breed found in the country. Mrs. Aku said the feat was made possible by Governor Gabriel Suswam who in 2011 approved the purchase of 18 pure breed swine made up of stocks of Land race, Large white and the Duroc for the college.