FG Trains 170 farmers in Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency on Cassava Production
By Joseph Ajayi – Lokoja
The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the National Productivity Center in Abuja, has trained 170 farmers on Cassava Production in Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency, Kogi State, to acquire new skills that will improve their production.
The program which was facilitated by Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, the House Committee Chairman on Finance to train selected farmers in Kogi state on how to enhance their productivity in Cassava value chains to enhance their economic status.
Delivering her lectures at Baptist High School, Ekinrin-Adde, in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, a staff in the department of the human capacity building department, National Productivity Center, Abuja, Mrs Florence Musa Charles said the mandate of the center is to stimulate activities that will lead to productivity to satisfy customers. Hence, the federal government, through her office, has identified cassava as one of the essential crops that have different derivatives to stimulate the economy of the people.
She commended Rt. Hon.James Abiodun Faleke, for facilitating such programs using the center to train people in enhancing their productivity that will engender national growth, pointed out that the agriculture sector is one of the major sectors that is contributing to the GDP of Nigeria.
She noted that the time has come for the people to move away from the old way of subsistence farming of just feeding only your household to mechanized farming of exporting their farm produce to other countries to earn in dollars that will enhance their economic status.
She urged the people to see cassava farming as a means of a business that requires huge investment with required returns within a short period of six months depending on the type of cassava, adding that the TM 419, and TM 8082 seem to be some of the types that have high yeed if invested on, will guarantee maximum returns, hence the government is interested in empowering farmers through training and retraining on new techniques of enhancing their farm produces.
He charged the participants to be ready to learn new things that will enable them to enhance their productivity in Cassava Production stressing that they can group themselves in cooperative societies to raise funds through the financial houses, especially microfinance banks to acquire the needed machines like tractors, farm implements and chemicals that will assist them to cultivate large portion of lands.
However, the participants raised concerns about the lack of funding, security, especially the farmer herders issues, and no access to subsidized farm implements and chemicals as some of the major challenges of going into mechanized farming in the area.
They appealed to government at all levels to invest more in agriculture with a special focus on cassava production because of its many derivatives that are parts of the day-to-day feeding of the people, adding that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) can replicate the anchor borrower program given to rice farmers sometimes ago under the immediate past administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to cassava farmers, to enhance their production for export.
The Vice Chairman of Ijumu Local Government Area, Hon. Muyiwa Aiyedogbon, who was also on the ground, commended Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, for his continuous contributions and support to not only the local government but the entire Kogi State, facilitating different programs and projects, urged the participants to put into judicious use the training acquired.
He acknowledged the effort of the current administration in both the state and local governments, led by performing Governor Usman Ododo and Hon Haruna Dstv in addressing some of the concerns raised by the participants, especially on security and access to farm equipment like tractors, pointed out that arrangements are ongoing to put final check to the security menace occasioned by the farmer herders crisis in the area.
He said the people should expect more activities geared toward improving the lives and livelihood of the people as the current government is for the people.
The representative of the company who handled the program, Mr. Dadu John, eulogized the National Productivity Center for allowing their organization to midwife the program, which was largely successful, and pointed out that they will continue to give the best for the overall benefit of the nation.
He said the participants should feel free to approach them for any assistance in accessing information on the topic treated for the training and pointed out that 170 farmers were drawn from different parts of the state to participate in the training.
Some of the participants who spoke to journalists after the training used the opportunity to thank President Bola Tinubu and appreciated Rt. Hon James Abiodun Faleke for his magnanimity and love for the people of the state in facilitating different programs that are centered on empowering the people to access the right information that will enable them to stabilize economically.
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