The Kogi State IFAD Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD/VCDP) has trained farmers and stakeholders on standard weight and measures for the benefit of farmers and buyers within the system.
The IFAD/VCDP state Programme Coordinator, Dr Stella Adejoh, who declared the workshop open in Lokoja on Friday, urged participants to apply adequate weight and measure systems to ensure effective service delivery.
Adejoh said the training, initiated by Kogi VCDP was part of efforts to ensure that stakeholders were abreast with the latest practices in standard weight and measures.
This, she said would ensure that farmers and buyers had value for their products and money.
The coordinator of the programme said the participants were the value chain actors, operators and the regulatory bodies from the five benefitting local government areas – Lokoja, Ajaokuta, Kabba/Bunu, Olamaboro and Ibaji.
She urged participants to ensure the standard weighing and measuring system achieved the desired success in their respective local government areas.
She reiterated that VCDP remained a commercially oriented market-led, demand-driven project, designed to respond to market needs of end-users of rice and cassava commodities.
Adejoh noted that the goal of the programme was to reduce rural poverty, increase food security and accelerate economic growth on a sustainable basis.
She said the government, under the leadership of Gov. Yahaya Bello, was poised to improve the lives of the citizens and urged farmers to ensure food sufficiency in the state.
She further appreciated the efforts of the state government in supporting the programme at all levels, which had ensured its success stories.
Mr Victor Eyika, VCDP Business Marketing Development Officer, who demonstrated the use of Weighing scale, advised participants to adhere strictly to the reading standard.
Eyika emphasised that the strict adherence to the standard reading would prevent miscalculations and sharp practices that were inimical to the system.
Speaking on behalf of the Farmers, Mr. Samuel Ochimana, thanked the governor for always supporting farmers to improve their productivity.
Ochimana assured the commitment of farmers to farming activities to ensure that the present administration achieved the set objectives in the agricultural sector. (NAN)
