The news agency of Nigeria reports that the governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi visited the 40 years old Ikun Diary farm in company of the general manager of the farm , Mr Herman Kibler, and the state commissioner for agriculture and food security, Mr Olabode Adetoyi.
Mr Kibler however said that the stage was set for the commencement of full scale milk production and that the farm is still expecting a few hundreds of cows which would be delivered in the coming months.
Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti has said the state owned Ikun Diary Farm in Ikun Ekiti would serve as a prototype for national livestock transformation plan in addressing farmers-herders crisis in the State.
Fayemi said this during an inspection of the newly arrived 227 pregnant cows at the Ikun Diary Farm from the United States of America and the expansive land for the cultivation of Hays.
According to Fayemi, the integrated farm designed to commence daily milk production of about 10,000 litres is a joint project of Ekiti State and Promasidor diary company.
The governor further said that about 500 hectares of land had already been acquired to grow fields that will be used to take care of the animals confined to their sheds. Appropriate measures had also been put in place to connect water directly from Ero Dam to achieve a seamless water supply and irrigation process on the farm.
He expressed confidence in the private public partnership arrangement between the state government and Promasidor to guarantee the sustainability and economic viability of the farm.
“We have an experienced person who is in charge, who has done these tons of time before coming to work here.
The diary farm will also demonstrate Nigeria’s capacity to be a milk producing nation rather than being a milk importing nation” he said.
Joy Odeigha
