By Onome Amuge
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) has expressed its commitment to adopt the best practices in abattoirs and improve the distribution of meat across the country through a partnership with the Lagos State government.
Maimuna Abdullahi Habbib,the chief veterinary officer of Nigeria and director,Federal Department of Veterinary and Pest Control Services,made the disclosure during the recent study tour and stakeholders engagement to understudy the air-cool meat vans from the abattoirs and slaughterhouses to the various meat markets in Lagos State.
Habbib, who noted that the objectives of the tour was to understudy the state air-cool Meatvans, the abattoirs and the slaughterhouses, further disclosed that the ministry would facilitate the process to ensure that a policy was drafted to ensure smooth operations, enforcement and implementation of the process across the nation.
According to the chief veterinary officer, the agriculture ministry had procured 37 vehicles that would be distributed to butchers for free in order to facilitate the process across the country.
She added that the ministry would strengthen its collaboration with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to make every structure and every movement of meat from abattoir to the market across the country a success.
Abisola Olusanya,the Lagos State commissioner of agriculture, in her remarks, recalled that prior to the launching of Eko Meat van Project in Year 2004, Meat haulage business in Lagos State was rather disorganised, haphazard and unregulated, adding that wooden carts were used to transport meat and carcasses from abattoirs and slaughter facilities to the deboning and bulk-breaking sections.
According to Olusanya, four Private investors and Butchers Association Group established the executing stakeholders to run the fleet of air-cool meatvans from the abattoirs and slaughterhouses to the various meat markets statewide, noting that the project was funded by Polaris bank in agreement with the stakeholders.
She falso disclosed that In 2009, the Ministry launched the Eko Refrigerated Meatvan project which was an advancement of the air-cool Eko Meatvans into refrigerated form and a total of fourteen private investors’ companies along with the State Butchers Association and Lagoon Butchers Ventures were successfully –screened and licensed to operate the project under a jointly-registered cooperative umbrella -Agege Meat van Multipurpose Cooperative society.
On his part,Alabi Bamidele Kazeem, the chairman,Lagos State butchers Association said that the butchers have been supportive to the state government and will continue to give its maximum cooperation.
