A concession concord has been contracted and embarked into between Chevron, the world's 4th biggest oil drilling firm, and BRAC-LIBERIA, a top non-profit development organization.
The concession concord was signed and entered into on the 16th of April, 2012 at BRAC-LIBERIA's Country office in the Liberian capital. The grant evaluated at $375,000USD is to support the BRAC Poultry Hatchery and Feed Mill Project for it's complete execution.
BRAC's Poultry Hatchery and Feed Mill project once completely in place will solve the problem of rising need for eggs on the Liberian market by the public in Liberia and also produce job chances for local poultry and livestock farmers.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Monrovia, Dr. Mahmud Hossain, BRAC-LIBERIA's Livestock Manager, verbalised his organisation's happiness at having developed a proposal on Poultry Program that Chevron and BRAC have contracted a grant of $375,000USD towards its Poultry Hatchery and Feed Mill project.
Dr. Hossain cited that evaluating the proposal, Chevron has stepped to the fore with BRAC to contribute in founding the first hatchery and feed mill following the civil war in Liberia, which is to be located at Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
He went on to explain that BRAC had observed under its Poultry Program the lack of poultry feed for day old chicks in the Republic of Liberia and in need to grow the sector, it was necessary to have a capcble poultry hatchery and feed mill in the country.
"From the last three years, BRAC-Liberia also found out eggs have high demand; sometime not available on the market due to shipment delay", Dr. Hossain explained.
Under the BRAC-Liberia poultry hatchery feed milling project, around 11 of its staff are to directly benefit, as well as some 200 communities who have livestock and poultry promoters as well as rearers.
Dr. Hossain aldo noted the project is advantageous in terms of the creation of jobs and capacity building for Liberian employees at the facility level such as Hatchery and farm supervisor, technicians as well as opportunities offered for BRAC supported community livestock and poultry promoters, who are micro-entrepreneurs spreading livestock and poultry related messages among others.
He commented that special awareness is set to be created and community occupants are set to be mobilized, informed on revenue yielding activities, support for rearers through provision of chicks, animal feed, medicine and vaccines.
"Following getting training about commercial poultry rearing, farmers will be able to rear commercial layer birds; their nutrition consumption will increase in at household level, while rural economy stands to improve.", Dr Hossain said.
The BRAC-Liberia livestock manager also suggested in his official comments, that at least 1,000 parent stock from this project, will be the opportunity to produce about 255,500 hatchable eggs per annum, with half of these expected to be commercial layer.
Chevron's Country Manager, Karl L. Cottrell, declared the signing ceremony of the grant agreement a success, in that Chevron's primary goal is to get into partnerships with other development partners in Liberia, including the Ministry of Agriculture, BRAC-Liberia, amongst others.
Talking about the sustainability of the BRAC poultry hatchery and feed mill, Mr. Cottrell stated that the project is anticipated to be sustained for a three year period, therefore making poultry farmers in the Republic of Liberia self-sustaining and allowing them to generate more income.
