JSR Genetics delivers pigs to Nigerian agriculture institute

Ayodele Oniku, JSR Genetics agent for South Africa, worked with the Institute of Agriculture Research and Training to deliver 20 pigs.

JSR Genetics has delivered its first shipment of pigs to Nigeria as part of a supply agreement established with the Institute of Agriculture Research and Training in Ibadan. The agreement saw JSR deliver 20 Large White, Geneconverter 500 and 750 boars to a boar stud in Nigeria at the end of June. The institute is part of the Obafemi Awolowo University and is one of the primary national agricultural research institutes in Nigeria.
The institute works closely with resource-poor farmers throughout southwestern Nigeria and aims to improve the genetic potential and yield of crops, livestock and other commodities. It also works to improve agricultural technologies, increase and maximize overall productivity and provide training for national agricultural development.
JSR agent for West Africa, Ayodele Oniku, worked alongside the team at JSR and the Institute of Agriculture Research and Training to oversee the delivery. JSR also provided two weeks of training to two members of staff from the institute, who will work at the stud. This included classroom training covering biosecurity, collecting and processing semen and serving and farrowing on farm.
Ben Rawson, key account manager at JSR Genetics, said he is pleased that this first shipment to Nigeria was a success and believes that a positive precedent has been established for the future. "When I joined the JSR Genetics team, I was presented with the task of completing a sale of boars to a Nigerian boar stud that had been in progress for some time. As Africa strives towards a more sustainable future, we deal with many enquiries from the continent, but with finances being very tight and controlled heavily by the government, many of these never get past the quote stage.
"However, working with the institute was different, and with perseverance and lots of hard work from Ayodele Oniku, we secured the finances and were able to deliver the boars to the stud in late June. With delegates from the Institute of Agriculture Research and Training having visited JSR Genetics for an intensive two-week training program, we feel safe in the knowledge that the boars will be well looked after and that this will create a blueprint for future orders going to Africa," said Rawson.
"We were all so pleased that the pigs arrived safely at their destination and can report that they are settled in and are doing well after their quarantine period. Everyone at the institute is very appreciative of the help and support received from JSR, and especially for their perseverance. We are very much looking forward to supplying semen from the stud across Nigeria and seeing the result of everyone's hard work," said Dr. Kingsley Adesehinwa from the institute.