In a bid to protect day-old chicks in the poultry sector of Nigeria’s livestock industry, Agribusiness Dynamics Technology Limited(AgDyna), has unveiled a new technology designed to achieve this.
The new innovation, titled Farmsured Technology, was unveiled during an event attended by stakeholders in the industry, organized in partnership with the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science and Oyo State government.
Speaking with reporters at the event, the Convener and Chief Executive Officer of AgDyna, Ayooluwa Okediji, noted that the technology is the organization’s first step towards improving outputs in the country’s agricultural sector with the use of technology.
“We have been working on it for over 7 years to make sure we can fight counterfeiting and adulteration of agricultural inputs.
“I should mention that one of the reasons that smallholder farmers are very poor is because they don’t have access to quality inputs. One of the reasons that banks won’t lend money to farmers is because they would have poor yield which is most times caused by poor inputs. This problem is not just limited to day old chicks,” Okediji said.
He explained further that agricultural inputs determine at least 70 per cent of the output in any production.
“When you borrow money from a bank and you’re not able to get a good yield as a result of bad inputs automatically that becomes a debt and this is one of the reasons why smallholder farmers have been further pushed down the poverty line, making agriculture not interesting to a lot of people.
“We want to solve this menace facing the industry. It is designed for smallholder farmers. We are working with them to ensure that can get rewards for their hard works,” he added.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Adviser on Agribusiness to the Oyo State government who also doubles as the Director General of Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA), Dr. Debo Akande, noted that the current administration in the state is committed to creating an enabling environment for farmers to thrive in their businesses in the state.
Akande, who was represented by Dr. Tunde Amole of the International Livestock Research Institutes (ILRI) expressed his assurance that the technology has the capacity to make life easier for farmers.
“There is no doubt this initiative will bring more succour to the farmers in the state. This will bring a great impact on the smallholder farmers. For they will be able to source for resources in a cheaper, traceable way and only if you rest assured that all your inputs are of quality standards that when you can go to the market with your animals and smile back homes because there is no doubt that all your animals will be of great products,” he said.