The Ekiti State Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support (L-PRES) project has kicked off its cluster formation exercise across the 16 Local Government Areas of the State.

The initiative aims at enhancing livestock productivity and resilience among farmers in the State.

Speaking at the event in Ikere Ekiti, the Value Chain Officer, L-PRES Mrs.Adenike Omoleye emphasized the importance of cluster formation in improving the livelihoods of livestock farmers, adding that farmers can share knowledge, resources and best practices, leading to increase productivity and profitability if they operate in clusters.

Omoleye analyzed market trends, demand, prices to identify opportunities for livestock farmers, identify gaps in the Livestock value chain and develop strategies to address them, developing market linkages that would connect farmers to markets, processors and other stakeholders in the value chain.

She stressed that profiling should be done in farm locations to encourage livestock farmers.

According to her, existing groups/ cooperative societies will be submerged to clusters across value chain such as Poultry, Sheep/ goat, Pig and Beef, noting that L-PRES will not engage individuals but groups that form cluster.

Earlier in her remarks, the Extension Officer, L-PRES Mrs. Olubunmi Ajayi also highlighted the project’s commitment to providing technical support to farmers. “Our team of experts will work closely with farmers to identify their needs and provide solutions to improve their livestock production,” Ajayi said.

• Air Peace Boss, Onyema hails Ekiti Airport as one of world’s best
• Oyebanji, at Iyin-Ekiti, thanks President Tinubu for new Varsity
• FG APPROVES ESTABLISHMENT OF FOOD PROCESSING EQUIPMENT AND MACHINERY DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE IN EKITI
• EKITI PLEDGES SUSTENANCE OF COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH MEDIA FOR EFFECTIVE INFORMATION DISSEMINATION
• EKITI GOVERNMENT SEEKS COLLABORATION WITH EKSU ON YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

She said, bringing farmers together to discuss their common interests, goals and challenges would identify Livestock Farmers who can benefit from cluster formation and conduct surveys to understand their needs, constraints and opportunities of the farmers.

In his contribution, the Animal Husbandry Officer L-PRES, Mr. Muyiwa Adelodun stressed the need for sustainable livestock production practices. “As we support farmers to improve their productivity, we must also ensure that they adopt environmental friendly practices to safeguard the future of our livestock industry,”

The cluster formation exercise is expected to cover all the 16 local government areas of Ekiti State, with the South Central District being the first to benefit from the initiative.

The L-PRES project is a 6-year initiative aimed at improving livestock productivity, resilience, and commercialization in the State.