The Federal Government and the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have started the training of 250 farmers in Niger in cassava and rice entrepreneurship.
Dr Mathew Ahmed, the State Programme Coordinator (SPC) of IFAD-VCDP, made this known at the opening of one of the entrepreneurship workshops in Minna on Friday.
Ahmed said that the aim of the workshops was to enable those trained to train other farmers in the state.
“If you must do well in agri-business, you must utilise this training and step it down to other members of your group who are not here today.
“If you don’t make good use of your entrepreneurship skills, you may be producing at a loss,’’ he said.
He said that the 250 beneficiary farmers were producers, processors and marketers in the rice and cassava value chains.
The SPC said that 50 beneficiaries were selected from each of the five participating local government areas of the state.
According to him, the local government areas are Kontagora, Bida, Katcha, Shiroro and Wushishi.
Ahmed, who was represented by Hajiya Maimuna Abubakar, the state Rural Institution, Gender and Youth Mainstreaming Officer, said that the training was handled in three groups.
Ms Ajuma Ataguba, Lead Consultant, Learning Gate, Abuja, said that agriculture was a serious business, hence the need to develop entrepreneurial skills for smallholder farmers across the country.
She urged the country’s farmers to be business-minded in their approach to farming, rather than engaging in subsistence farming.
Also speaking, Malam Danjuma Mohammed, the Secretary of Bangi Multi-purpose Cooperative Society, thanked the government for the training.
He said that the training would enhance their income, urging the beneficiaries to replicate the training for other members of their groups.
VCDP is an initiative aimed at improving cassava and rice value chains. (NAN)
