The Lagos State government has introduced a new technology that will transform waste from poultry farms into a rich manure for crop cultivation.

The method, according to Saba Gbolahan Adekunle, a poultry facilitator from the state ministry of agriculture and cooperatives, will not only curb the environmental hazards associated with the crude method of poultry waste disposal, but also yield huge income for the farmers.

Speaking at the opening of a new 80 Hectares Poultry Farm Estate, Erikorodo, in Ikorodu, Adekunle pointed out the need for farmers to know the volume of waste being generated in their poultries to be able to ascertain the value. He noted that many poultry farms have been forced to close down due to poor environmental standards, whereas they have been losing huge income due to poor management of the waste generated in their farms.

“Waste from poultry is supposed to be managed properly. What they do is to gather the waste and set them on fire when they are dry which is not healthy enough. We are going to help them manage it properly with a new technology that will enable them transform the waste into manure, bag it and sell to crop farmers. The manure produced is even richer and better than fertilizer,” Adekunle stated.

Gbolahan Lawal, the state commissioner for agriculture, noted that the new farm estate was established to revamp the poultry production business in the state, guarantee steady sources of animal protein to Lagosians, provide employment to the teeming population of youths and also provide a viable business for investors.

Lawal assured that government will provide necessary infrastructure and utilities for the farmers in the estate. These include - a 10,000-bird capacity mechanised broiler house, feed mill with capacity to produce 12-ton of feed mill per day and a poultry processing plant with capacity to process 2,000 birds daily.

culled from www.worldpoultry.net