Agricultural Value Chain stakeholders from Ebonyi and Ogun states joined their Anambra state counterparts for a three-day workshop on the operation and management of some farm machineries.
The workshop which centered on practical demonstration of the various ways of using the simple farm implements to reduce drudgery and encourage youths to take up agriculture as a business, took place in Awka due to Governor Willie Obiano’s security architecture.
Declaring the workshop open, the State Programme Coordinator, IFAD VCDP, Mr. Nnamdi Agwuncha, said the workshop was aimed at nurturing the farmers on how to use and maintain the labour saving agricultural devices for high yield.
Mr. Agwuncha while describing poverty as man’s greatest enemy, Mr. Agwuncha charged them to work hard, increase their skills, income and create employment for others.
The National Agric Production officer, IFAD VCDP, Dr. Chyika Unamma, said as the main farming season approaches, they thought it wise to enhance farmers productivity as Labour for planting and transplanting are very expensive.
Dr. Unamma announced that the national office of IFAD VCDP will pay seventy per cent of the total cost of any implement chosen by any group that has made available their thirty percent matching grant.
The state Agric Production Officer, IFAD VCDP, Mr. Emmanuel Chukwukwelu, while lamenting the dwindling nature of youths involvement in agriculture, advised participants to listen attentively, to
anything that would be impacted on them by the resource persons to increase their production.
Also speaking, the Agric Production Officers for Ebonyi and Ogun states, Mr. Darlington Ongele and Mrs. Ajisafe Temitope respectively, said since the farmers have acquired best agronomic practices in rice and cassava value chains, when farmers acquire and operationally master the farm implements, it will rekindle youths interest, ease production and increase production.
For a rice farmer from Ogun state, Mr. Gbemisola Kolawole, his Ebony state counterpart, Mrs Elizabeth Edu and a processor from Omor, Anyamelum Council Area, Mrs. Ifeyinwa Okonkwor, confessed that the farm implements would no doubt catapulted them to next level in farming.
The workshop climaxed with practical demonstration of over twenty different farm implements by the farmers.
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