THE University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) has secured N600 million loan from the Central Bank of Nigeria to establish a commercial poultry farm to boost the production of eggs and chicken.
Prof Mikhail Buhari, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Technology and Innovation, of the university stated this on Monday while speaking with journalists.
Prof Buhari said that UNILORIN was the only institution that got the highly competitive loan. He said when established, the GG Max Poultry Farms would play a key role in the agro-based business toward reviving the poultry sub-sector.
According to him, this will reduce importation and close the existing demand and supply gap of eggs and allied poultry products. He said the university got the loan based on the brilliant proposal it submitted which was rated as the best of presentations made by competing universities.
“The university would be running the farm with the support of an external consultant,” Prof Buhari said, adding that the farm will be situated at Amoyo in the Ifelodun LGA of Kwara State. He said when operational, the farm would produce 5,000 broilers per week and raise 9,000 day-old broilers weekly.
He added that it would maintain a layers’ population of 16,000 which translates to 3,679,200 eggs per year.
According to him, the project is targeted at building the spirit of entrepreneurial skills among students as it would also generate employment opportunities.
He said that it would be run as a typical business venture with its own board of directors and would be accountable to the Vice-Chancellor. (NAN)
