Some farmers in Kogi, on Wednesday, commended President Muhammadu Buhari and Gov. Yahaya Bello’s empowerment programmes and introduction of practices aimed at lifting them out of poverty.
The farmers gave the commendation when the president’s daughter, Hajia Fatima Buhari, visited the Kogi Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), under the FGN/IFAD Rice Processing Centre, ASCO camp.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Fatima, the Marketing Enterprise Development Advisor (MEDA) of FGN/IFAD-VCDP, is on a three-day technical implementation support visit to VDCP projects in Kogi.
Hajia Rabi Abdullahi, Women Leader of ASCO Camp Cluster farm, Ajaokuta, thanked the federal and state governments for empowering rural farmers through the VCDP projects.
According to her, the farmers have been exposed to best agronomy practices which have resulted in bumper production of cassava and rice value chain.
A Youth Leader, Rebecca Sule, said that VCDP had trained them on balanced diet and how to minimise cost of processing their food products for sales with high quality nutrients.
”I am a graduate but no job. It was like a joke when we were trained but today, all our variety products on cassava are in the market.
”We are grateful to President Buhari and Gov. Bello for using VCDP to help farmers in the grassroots,” she said.
Also speaking, Mrs Zuwaira Abubakar, a garri processor, said that they had also been trained how to make other products from garri measurement and packaging.
”I am a widow, with three children who are out of school because of lack of fund, but through the VCDP programme, my children are now back in school.
”We thank our president and our governor for using this VCDP programme to bring us out of poverty,” Abubakar said.
In her remarks, Buhari thanked the governor for payment of the counterparts fund for the implementation of VCDP activities in the state and appealed for its sustenance.
Buhari also commended the State Coordinator of IFAD-VCDP, Dr Stella Adejoh, for her commitment to the programme in the state.
According to her, the FGN/IFAD-VCDP projects have been successful in all the 36 states of the federation, including FCT.
She restated the federal government’s commitment to achieving the goals and objectives of the programme.
Commissioner for Agriculture in the state, Mr David Apeh, noted that VCDP had recorded success in the state, adding that Buhari’s visit would further stimulate more farmers.
Apeh added that the state government was committed to prompt payment of its counterparts fund for the VCDP programme.
Also speaking, Adejoh thanked Buhari for the choice of the state for the technical implementation support visit.
She noted that VCDP had impacted on the lives of farmers in the state by improving their yields and productivity as well as lifting many out of poverty.
She said that VCDP was aimed at ensuring food security in the state and empowering farmers out of poverty.
Adejoh also thanked the governor for his support for the implementation of the programme, adding that the success so far recorded was due to the support. (NAN)
