…Facility targets affordable protein, mass job creation, animal-feed supply across South-East, South-South, other regions
By Victor Nwegede
The Ebonyi State Government has revived the moribund Nkaliki Integrated Farm Settlement after about 14 years of inactivity, with the administration of Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru repositioning the facility for poultry production, hatchery operations and large-scale animal-feed manufacturing.
The renewed agricultural complex, which comprises a poultry farm, hatchery and feed mill, is expected to strengthen the state’s livestock value chain, improve access to affordable protein, create employment opportunities and supply animal feeds to markets across the South-East, South-South and other parts of the country.
The development is coming as the Nkaliki Hatchery, once regarded as a major agricultural asset in the region, undergoes rehabilitation and remodelling under the Nwifuru administration.
Speaking during an inspection tour of the facility, the Permanent Secretary, Ebonyi State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr Hillary Ogbonna Obiese, who represented the Commissioner, Princess Nkechinyere Iyioku, said the state government had deliberately embarked on the revitalisation of the facility to restore its productive capacity and contribute to economic development.
Obiese said the integrated farm had remained largely moribund for 14 years before the present administration commenced efforts to restore it to operation.
According to him, the facility has three major components including the poultry section, hatchery and feed mill; all of which are being rehabilitated and repositioned for productive use.
He said, “This farm has three segments. There is a poultry farm, there is a hatchery and there is a feed mill. We are going to touch all of them.
“This has been moribund for 14 years before His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, Rt Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru came on stage. Since the inception of His Excellency’s administration in 2023, he has sworn into action to revitalise this moribund farm settlement, livestock, feed mill and hatchery.”
Obiese said the poultry section had already resumed production, adding that eggs were being sold three times weekly to members of the public and traders.
He explained that the renewed production was already contributing to the local economy while providing consumers with access to relatively affordable animal protein.
On the hatchery, the Permanent Secretary said the necessary equipment had been procured, with installation expected to commence soon.
He added that the feed mill was about 75 per cent completed, with major underground machinery already imported and being installed.
According to him, the scale of the investment is designed to take Ebonyi beyond meeting its domestic feed requirements and position the state as a major supplier to neighbouring states and other regions.
Meanwhile, the farm’s technical supervisor, Okechukwu Ogah, said the poultry section currently had a capacity of about 6,500 birds, with daily egg production standing at approximately 250 eggs.
Ogah disclosed that about 30 workers were currently engaged at the facility, stressing that the workforce would be expanded as more pens were stocked.
He said the administration was also prioritising the production and distribution of affordable protein as part of efforts to improve food security and household nutrition.
“We are producing organic eggs at a subsidized price. There is no way in the market that you get a crate of eggs at N5,000. We are producing through the directive of the Honourable Commissioner. We have to subsidize for our people to have affordable protein,” Ogah said.
He further disclosed that the state government intended to leverage the hatchery to create substantial employment opportunities, particularly for people in rural communities and farmers who would benefit from the distribution of chicks.
“This is going to create so many jobs. It will be people that will be in the villages, people that will be distributed to farmers. A whole lot of jobs will be created beyond Ebonyi State,” he said.
Ogah added that the strategic location of the facility would enable it to serve markets in neighbouring Cross River and other states, thereby creating a wider agricultural value chain.
On the feed mill, the Managing Director of Anglosophic International and contractor handling the project, Richard Onyekachi Eze, said the facility was designed as a high-capacity integrated feed production plant.
Eze disclosed that the factory would have a production capacity of 10 tonnes per hour for livestock pellet feed and five tonnes per hour for fish feed, describing it as a multipurpose facility capable of serving different categories of livestock producers.
“This is a feed mill factory. It is 10 tonnes per hour pellet feed for other animals and five tonnes per hour fish feed. It is a high-capacity factory,” he said.
He explained that the complex was designed to accommodate raw-material handling, production and finished-product storage, adding that major equipment had already arrived while additional components were expected alongside the completion of the state-built structures.
According to him, Chinese technical personnel are expected to arrive for the installation and commissioning of the specialised machinery.
Eze said the architecture of the project was designed to accommodate both livestock and fish-feed production within the same industrial complex, thereby reducing the need for separate facilities and maximising production efficiency.
Earlier, Obiese said the feed mill was being developed with a regional outlook, stressing that its production capacity was intended to serve consumers beyond Ebonyi.
He said the facility would have the capacity to supply animal feed to the South-East, South-South and other parts of the country where demand exists.
He added that the state government's objective was to develop an integrated agricultural ecosystem in which poultry production, hatchery operations and feed manufacturing would reinforce one another.
The revitalisation of the Nkaliki facility is also expected to restore its historical role as an agricultural and commercial hub.
The facility, established as an integrated poultry complex, previously comprised poultry production, parent stock, hatchery operations, processing facilities and a feed mill before years of deterioration undermined its productivity.
The renewed investment is therefore expected to strengthen Ebonyi’s agricultural value chain by linking feed production, hatchery operations, poultry farming, employment and food supply in one integrated production system.
For the Nwifuru administration, the project represents a broader shift from merely maintaining agricultural infrastructure to deploying state-owned assets for commercial production, food security, job creation and economic diversification.
