By Daud Olatunji

The Ogun state government has entered into partnership with the British-American Tobacco Nigerian Foundation (BATNF) on human capacity development and materials empowerment of women poultry farmers in the three senatorial districts.

Speaking at the certificates presentation for the first set of women farmers who were trained on poultry value chain in Abeokuta, general manager, British-American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) , Abimbola Okoya, declared that the foundation was established with the vision to reduce poverty in Nigeria Communities, targeting all divisions within the state.

Okoya said the training was first in the empowerment process designed to build capacity of women small holder farmers and equip them the needed materials, adding that “with the training received by beneficiaries, we believe they would put into practice, all they had learnt to properly manage their farms and market their farm produce to increase their productivity, income and make life more meaningful.”

Also, Ogun state commissioner for agriculture Ronke Sokefun, disclosed that government would roll out incentives to encourage massive investment in various sectors of agriculture, especially poultry and animal production, explaining that partnership with Btitish-American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation was part of the State public private partnership arrangement.

Sokefun said one of the focuses of the State government was to empower rural dwellers by engaging and enriching them through Public Private Partnership (PPP), adding: “We always encourage and facilitate Public Private Partnership for the benefit of our farmers. We want them to improve their livelihood and also be employers of labour even through farming.”

She however, revealed that the women poultry farmers in Ogun state would be allocated with free agricultural produce marketing outlets at the recently commissioned, State-owned Farmers Mart, Asero in Abeokuta south local government area in order to further empower women farmers in the state, noting that the farmers’ mart is a right avenue to market their produce.

Responding on behalf of other beneficiaries, Elizabeth Oyenumade commended the Ministry of Agriculture’s partnership with the British-American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF), but appealed to the partners to fast-track the empowerment process with needed materials and tools in addition to human capacity development orgainsed for women farmers.