A three-day training workshop on good agricultural practices for 2022-2023 dry season Rice farmers in Anambra State, has ended in Awka, the state capital.

 

The training workshop, organized by the federal minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with IFAD Assisted Value Chain Development Programme was for Rural Poor Stimulus Facilities, RPSF, and the 2022-2023 Dry Season Rice farmers in Anambra State under IFAD VCDP.

Agric Correspondent Chibuzo Obidike reports that declaring the training workshop open, the state Programme Coordinator, FGN IFAD VCDP, Mr. Nnamdi Agwuncha, described the capacity building workshop as a tradition by IFAD after input disbursement to inculcate new inventions in the beneficiaries to avoid mistakes.

 

Mr. Agwuncha assured of the readiness of IFAD VCDP to ensure that it did not deviate from the state government’s interest in promoting organic agriculture.

On the fate of farmers that suffered losses during last year’s flooding, Mr. Agwuncha, who encouraged them not to lose hope, affirmed that they must be indemnified as the National Agric Insurance Cooperation, NAIC, is still very busy with identification, assessment and verification of their farms.

 

Taking participants on good agronomic practices on rice production in Nigeria, a resource person, Dr. Michael Nasamu, who disclosed that they were contracted by IFAD VCDP at Abuja to build the capacity of dry season Rice farmers, announced that the training workshop is simultaneously taking place across the nine participating states in Nigeria.

Dr Nasamu, while expressing satisfaction that Anambra State has a good number of dry season farmers, advised them to start by getting their inputs, tools, labour’s and money for production ready before going into land preparation, planting, fertilizer application, water and field management activities, pre- and post-harvest among others.

 

Contributing, the state Agric Production Officer, FGN IFAD VCDP, Mr. Emmanuel Chukwukwelu, unveiled that they have increased their demo plots for practical demonstration on best ways to achieve good agronomic practices on Rice and Cassava farming.

Some of the participants, including Mr. Chibuzo Obiechina from Umueri in Anambra East Council Area, Mrs. Bridget Orji from Ufuma, Orumba North Council Area, and their counterpart from Ogbaru Council Area, Mr. Uzoma Njoku, commended the training workshop and called for more of it.

 

The training workshop climaxed with field visit where the participants were taken through the practical aspect of what they were taught in the classroom.