The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), has distributed Rice production inputs to farmers in the Southwest region of the country.
The event, which took place on Monday at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Moore Plantation, Ibadan, Oyo State, included farmers’ representatives from Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, and Lagos states.
The Minister of Agriculture, Dr Mohammad Abubakar, who was represented at the event by Alhaji Bashir Usman, Deputy Director and National Coordinator for Rice Value Chain, presented the items to the farmers.
According to him, the federal government has introduced various agricultural programmes and projects through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to ensure food security and the nation’s long-term economic growth.
“The Nigeria Agricultural sector has been focusing on the conventional paradigm of harnessing resources over the years to sustain food security.
“Presently, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development is committed to making the sector a pivot for economic stabilization in diversifying, generating employment and creating wealth in the country.
“One of the ways in which the ministry is working to achieve its objectives is through the promotion of various value chains,” he said.
Abubakar said the two-day workshop’s purpose was to train rice farmers across Southwest states on Good Agricultural Practices and the Safe/Effective Use of Agrochemicals to increase Rice Production.
He said the best agricultural practices are voluntary guidelines for produce farmers to reduce the risk of microbial contamination related to food-borne illness on their farms.
According to him, these voluntary guidelines are expected to be observed at each stage of agriculture, such as soil preparation, sowing and manure application, harvesting, and processing.
Abubakar noted that plants will only yield well and resist pests and disease if grown under the most suitable conditions.
“It, therefore, becomes necessary to sensitize farmers and other stakeholders along the rice value chain, through this workshop to spread the basic concept of Agricultural Best Practices in rice production and to sensitize on effective/safe use of agrochemicals to increase rice production,” he said.
In her address, the Oyo State Coordinator, FMARD, Dr Kakulu Omonele, enjoined the participants to make the most of the training knowledge and pass it on to others in their various associations.
Mr Victor Korede, the National Vice-President, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) Southwest, and Ms Olayinka Ogunlaja, Lagos State Kosofe Local Government, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), who were among the project’s beneficiaries, appreciated the Federal Government for the gesture.
The duo agreed that the government has been intensifying its efforts to ensure that farmers are provided with agricultural inputs and knowledge of best practices.
