By Our Correspondent:
The Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES) has commenced a major sensitization and on-field demonstration exercise across five cottage pasture farms in Taraba State, aimed at improving livestock feeding practices and boosting milk production.
The exercise was observed to have focused on modern pasture management, harvesting, processing, value addition, feeding, and storage, with farmers across the livestock production clusters receiving hands-on training from L-PRES husbandry and extension officers.
As part of intervention, Taraba L-PRES constructed cottage pasture units, pasture seed production facilities, and model homestead Napier plots Cottage in five communities.
The benefitting locations include, Shadari, in Bali local government council, Pomi, karaje in Ardo-Kola, Garbabi, in Gashaka, Wuro Jama’a in Sardauna, and Bil-Mulel in Lau local government area
According to the project team, the facilities are designed to serve as training hubs and reliable forage sources to support livestock production throughout the year.
In addition to the training, L-PRES equipped each of the five cottage farms with three Crusher machines, five drums of molasses each,.and tricycle trucks to ease transportation of feed. The molasses, officials explained, will significantly enhance feed quality and improve milk yield among cattle.
Extension officer, Hassan Ezra Donas and the Animal Husbandry Officer Isiayaka Usman, explained the importance of the Napier grass to the Beneficiary’s Communities as well as demonstrated how to operate the crushing machines and apply molasses to processed feed, stressing that the new techniques would greatly improve productivity and farm efficiency.
Beneficiaries expressed appreciation to L-PRES, the Taraba State Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, and the World Bank for their support. They also pledged to share the knowledge acquired with fellow farmers across their local government areas to ensure wider adoption of the improved practices.
Farmers described the intervention as timely, noting that it has strengthened their capacity and provided essential tools needed to scale livestock production across the state.
