From CHARLES ONYEKWERE
Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project, L-PRES, has urged livestock farmers and value-chain entrepreneurs in Enugu State to take advantage of the benefits in the ongoing nationwide online livestock farmers registration.
L-PRES is a general livestock development project funded by the World Bank, federal and state governments, which include the Enugu State government.
The State Project Coordinator, L-PRES, Dr Ifeyinwa Nnajieze told newsmen on Tuesday in Enugu that the registration rate in eight months had been relatively low.
Nnajieze said the registration is free and not tax-driven.
She noted that the online livestock registration for the 17 council areas, which is 11,000 presently, remains low compared with the numerous livestock ventures embarked upon by residents, especially women and youths.
She said residents should discountenance the unfounded rumour that the registration will impact taxation, adding that the data collected reflects only in L-PRES data-bank in Abuja.
According to her, those to register are livestock farmers into poultry, cattle, goat, sheep, rabbit, piggery rearing among others, as well as others in the value-chain such as livestock sellers, suppliers, feed providers among others.
“We are having issues with registration, some of the council areas that we paid advocacy visits to, are not fully represented.
“As the federal government has established the Ministry of Livestock, most inputs, incentives and training will be based on the available data at L-PRES headquarters, Abuja; and it will be used for planning and special interventions.
“Our people should register online where they are (their business locations or headquarters) as we have GPS/geo-coordinate to capture their registration even from remote locations.
“We are appealing to our people into livestock value-chain to register and inform their colleagues so that tomorrow, no one would cry of marginalisation, as L-PRES officials will work with the data collected via its current online registration,” she said.
The project coordinator noted that due to low registration, L-PRES had to embark on advocacy visit to the chairmen of the 17 council areas, adding that “the registration is for everyone resident in the state and engaged in livestock farming or value-chain businesses.”
