Date: 2019-10-26

Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara says the state needs to harness the cow business along the value chain to enhance sustainability and profitability.

AbdulRazaq made this known in Ilorin at two-day training for the state Livestock Transformation Officers and Project Management Officers (SLTOs/PMOs) of the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP).

The governor, who was represented by Chief of Staff, Mr Aminu Adisa Logun, said that Kwara needed to transform its "athletic cows" into "business cows" and to create several businesses along the value chain to enhance sustainability and profitability.

He said his administration had keyed into the Federal Government's National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) to drive economic growth, create jobs, and equip farmers/herders with necessary tools to thrive in the agribusiness.

"We both have a shared goal of supporting investments in the livestock value chains that will catalyse sustainable economic growth, create more jobs and equip farmers with the necessary tools to thrive in the agricultural sector," AbdulRazaq said.

The governor said that the government had assembled a robust project management team that would be supervised by a steering committee under the chairmanship of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) to fully benefit from the initiative.

He thanked the Federal Government for supporting the state's agribusiness agenda, noting that Kwara had no option than to seek ways of increasing the productivity of its dairy and beef to remain competitive.

"We believe that strategic collaborations with critical stakeholders in the industry is pivotal to achieving defined and well-tailored objectives and results.

"We need to significantly increase the productivity of our livestock (dairy and beef) and " reduce cost of production if we are to remain competitive,"he said.

Dr Andrew Kwasari, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agriculture, said that the success of the Federal Government's policy on agriculture depended solely on its adoption at the state level.

Kwaasari, who said that Nigeria's problem was not about policy formulation but the will to implement it, added the NLTP needed the critical support of all states of the federation to actualise the objectives.

He commended the level of competency and engagement of the participants, expressing the hope that they would be able to make the NLTP a huge success in Kwara.

Kwasari commended Gov. AbdulRazaq for putting together a vibrant and youthful team, which was about the youngest he had seen any state participating in the programme so far.

He also commended the state government for playing an active role in maintaining friendly relationship between the farmers and herdsmen in the state.