By: Jide Akinseye
In a move aimed at transforming its livestock sector, the Ekiti State Government has commenced the construction of a multi-million naira ultra-modern poultry processing plant. The project, supported by the World Bank-backed Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES), is expected to enhance food security, boost local poultry production, create employment opportunities and strengthen the state’s agricultural value chain.
Ekiti Moves to Complete Poultry Value Chain with New Processing Plant
The Ekiti State Government has begun the construction of a multi-million naira ultra-modern poultry processing plant as part of its strategy to improve food security, stimulate economic growth and expand opportunities within the poultry industry.
The project was officially launched with the handover of the construction site to contractors under the World Bank-supported Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) in Ado-Ekiti.
Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Ebenezer Boluwade, described the facility as a critical investment designed to improve livestock production, encourage value addition and reduce the state’s reliance on processing facilities located outside Ekiti.
According to him, the new processing plant will enable poultry farmers to process and preserve their products within the state, thereby reducing post-harvest losses and increasing profitability for producers.
Boluwade noted that although Ekiti currently produces about 40,000 broiler birds every month, more than 80 per cent of them are processed outside the state due to the absence of adequate processing infrastructure.
“This project is a major step towards improving food security and creating wealth for our people. We are already producing poultry in large quantities in Ekiti, but most of the birds are processed outside the state,” he said.
“With this facility, we are adding value to our poultry production and creating opportunities for our youths and investors in the agricultural sector.”
The commissioner revealed that the state government has set an ambitious target of increasing poultry production from about 20,000 birds monthly to 150,000 birds per month before the end of next year.
Beyond processing, the facility is expected to operate as an integrated poultry centre equipped with modern waste management technology capable of converting poultry waste into valuable by-products such as organic fertiliser and biogas, supporting environmental sustainability while generating additional economic value.
The project is also projected to have a significant employment impact, creating more than 100 direct jobs and approximately 1,000 indirect jobs across the poultry value chain, including production, transportation, processing, marketing and allied services.
Providing further details, the State Coordinator of L-PRES, Yinka Adedipe, confirmed that contractors had already taken possession of the project sites and would commence work immediately.
He explained that, in addition to the poultry processing plant, the programme includes the construction of poultry pens in Emure-Ekiti and Ikole-Ekiti, as well as commercial cattle markets in Ado-Ekiti and Omuo-Ekiti.
Adedipe disclosed that the processing facility would be equipped with blast cold rooms, storage cold rooms and semi-automated slaughtering and processing machines capable of handling about 2,000 birds per processing cycle.
“What we want to achieve is a hygienic and modern processing system that will complete the poultry value chain in Ekiti State. Farmers will now have a place to process and preserve their products in the state,” he said.
Industry observers say the investment could help position Ekiti as a major poultry production and processing hub in southwest Nigeria, while improving market access for farmers, reducing transportation costs and enhancing the availability of quality poultry products for consumers.
