{"id":432,"date":"2026-07-08T15:22:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T14:22:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=432"},"modified":"2026-07-08T15:22:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T14:22:29","slug":"delsu-entrepreneurship-centre-upscales-practical-training-for-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=432","title":{"rendered":"DELSU Entrepreneurship Centre Upscales Practical Training For Students"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>By Joy Oliseh<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Centre for Entrepreneurship Studies at Delta State University, Abraka has launched full scale training sessions on broiler poultry farming and cucumber cultivation to equip students of the University with practical skills in livestock and crop production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview with the Farm Supervisor, Mr. Joseph Ojobo explained that the centre\u2019s poultry unit focuses on raising broiler chickens for meat production, serving as a practical training ground where students acquire hands-on experience under the supervision of farm facilitator Mr. Joseph Ojobo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ojobo, who has overseen the unit for several years, emphasised that profitability in broiler farming depends on good management and cost control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;You can raise a large number of broilers while carefully managing feed consumption to reduce costs and increase income,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to him, broilers are fed according to their growth stages\u2014starter feed for chicks and finisher feed for older birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To minimize wastage, feed is temporarily withheld between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., and again between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., before feeding resumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the management of the centre, the Supervisor explained that both students and facilitators collaborate on daily routines, including feeding, cleaning the poultry house, supplying clean water, and monitoring bird health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He added that strict hygiene is enforced at the farm everyone entering the poultry house must disinfect their footwear to prevent disease outbreaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Common diseases affecting the birds include Marek&#8217;s disease and coccidiosis. Sick birds are immediately isolated, and vaccination is carried out according to schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Broilers are typically ready for sale between six and nine weeks, though they may be kept up to twelve weeks if necessary. Customers visit the farm directly to purchase birds once sales are announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Student trainees Miss Ehiworia Favour and Mr. Ogaga Moses shared their experiences, noting that the practical training has deepened their understanding of poultry management and entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adjacent to the poultry unit, the cucumber farm offers students rapid-cycle crop production experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cucumbers are cultivated because they mature within two to three months, fitting neatly within an academic semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mr. Ojobo explained that land is properly cleared before planting, and poultry manure from the farm is used as organic fertilizer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Basic manual tools cutlasses, hoes, rakes, and watering cans are used for cultivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Cucumber plants need adequate moisture but not waterlogged soil,&#8221; Mr. Ojobo noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We plant when soil moisture is sufficient, especially towards the end of the rainy season.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The vines are staked using wooden poles and ropes to keep fruits off the ground, improve air circulation, reduce disease, and ease harvesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pest and disease management remains a challenge, with insect pests, fungal infections, and dry-season water shortages topping the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The farm applies pesticides and fungicides based on the specific threat identified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After harvest, students are responsible for marketing and selling the produce, gaining experience in both production and agribusiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Disease outbreaks and feed management are the primary challenges in broiler production, while cucumber farming battles pests, fungal diseases, and inadequate water supply during the dry season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mr. Ojobo stressed that proper hygiene, timely vaccination, early disease detection, and effective farm management are essential to overcoming these hurdles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also called for improved irrigation facilities to support year-round cucumber production.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Joy Oliseh The Centre for Entrepreneurship Studies at Delta State University, Abraka has launched full scale training sessions on broiler poultry farming and cucumber cultivation to equip students of the University with practical skills in livestock and crop production. In an interview with the Farm Supervisor, Mr. Joseph Ojobo explained that the centre\u2019s poultry [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,14],"tags":[31,25,110],"class_list":["post-432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-trendingnews","tag-abraka","tag-delsu","tag-entrepreneurship"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=432"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":437,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432\/revisions\/437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}