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.

BusinessDay reports that Mr Adekunle spoke in Lagos recently during a meeting with the first allottees of the state’s 80 Hectares Poultry Farm Estate, Erikorodo, in Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area. He disclosed that 1,000 birds produce 900kg of waste every week, and 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,” Mr Adekunle stated.

Earlier, Gbolahan Lawal, the state commissioner for agriculture, noted that the 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.

Mr 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.

Ogunsetan Olugbenga, secretary, Poultry Association of Nigeria, Lagos branch, commended the government for the initiative, noting that the new technology would be environment friendly and also improve farmers’ productivity, while serving as a model in the country.

Adekunle Oshukoya, a retiree and one of the allotees, expressed appreciation to government for encouraging development of agriculture in the state through the poultry farm scheme as well as other farming schemes.

Other agricultural projects carried out by the state government in conjunction with the private sector include; 20,000 tons annual capacity rice mill in Imota, 1,000 annual capacity cassava flour factory at Imota , agro-allied park at Imota also, pig breeding centre at the Pig Estate in Gberigbe, Fish Farm Estate in Ketu Ereyun, Epe and the Vegetable Estate at Iya-Afin, Badagry.