In a bid to make the state an Agricultural hub in the South East region , Enugu State AUDA- NEPAD office in collaboration with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC ) Thursday , trained SmallHolders farmers in Enugu North senatorial zone on Good Agricultural Practices(GAP) and tasked them on Value Addition for exports.
Pix- NEPC ‘s South East Regional Coordinator, MacPherson Fred-Ileogben
Resource Persons at the One – Day Capacity Building held in Nsukka with participants drawn from the Six Local Government Areas of Enugu north senatorial zone , also tasked farmers to always plan well before embarking on farming , and to follow proper farming procedures to be able to get good yields for both eating and Commercial purposes.
Speaking at the event , the South East Regional Coordinator of NEPC, MacPherson Fred-Ileogben, said the workshop titled ,”Good and Agricultural Practices for Smallholder farmers in Enugu north senatorial zone” and the theme, ‘Getting it right from the farm-gate to grow non- oil export”, aimed at training farmers on the best ways to farm and get a better yield were apt.
He explained that farming procedures should be followed and applied appropriately for farmers to succeed.
According to him, Nigerian Export Promotion Council recognizes the importance of farmers.,who are primary producers in the agricultural Value chain, hence the training.
“You will agree with me that if you get it right from that level through the entire Value Chain to the market , we will get it right. We want to begin to adopt best practices in what they do at the farm- gate ,so that they get it right , then, when processors get across their products and they add value to it , they will also have good products coming out at the level of processing and when the products are taken to the market, they will have good products.
Speaking further on the importance of the training, the Zonal Coordinator said,
“You can see the interest. Everybody came here, nobody left before the end of the program, that shows there’s an impact that was made today in the famers in this senatorial district and we are looking at expanding it to other senatorial districts in Enugu state.
He urged farmers to add value to their products for a better business. “When we talk about Value Addition, we are talking about getting products from primary produces. Paddy rice is a primary product . By the time processing goes further and you take away the shafts you have long grain rice, value is there. You can convert that rice into rice powder, rice flower., rice flakes, even rice oil. You can make oil from rice. If I mentioned Cassava, you will see a whole lot of derivatives from Cassava. So, when we talk about Value Addition it’s to extend their products beyond the primary produce”, he said.
The Regional Coordinator urged farmers to expand their markets for better pay.
Talking about exportation, he said ,”the Nigerian Export Promotion Council is out for advocacy at various levels, primary level, secondary and tertiary levels”. He said they have experts and they advice those who want to expand their markets, and guide them for them to be able to enter the international market
The Regional Coordinator advised farmers to form Cooperatives, put their resources together and go to Microfinance banks and Commercial banks for financial assistance, saying, “it is important to have a formation. When you don’t have a formation you are at disadvantage.”
On keys to developing the products for export, he said , farmers should comply with government export regulations, carry out all necessary analysis on your product, obtain all necessary certifications, package and label the products appropriately for export, benchmark your products, comply with the Country ‘s standard”, he advised.
Pix- Chris
He also advised farmers who want to export their farm produce not to apply inorganic fertilizer in their farm, disclosing that products grown with inorganic fertilizer do not meet exportation standards.
He urged farmers to take back the new knowledge they had gathered to their farms and begin to implement them, saying, “don’t cut corners. Do what is right . Like what the theme has said,” Getting it right at the farm-gates to grow non- oil export”, he said.
Pix- SSA , SDG/ Enugu AUDA- NEPAD Coordinator, Onyinye Akubuilo -Okpalanma
In her opening remarks, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Sustainable Development Goals and State Coordinator, for African Union Development Agency- New Partnership for African Development (AUDA- NEPAD) Onyinye Akubuilo -Okpalanma said in AUDA- NEPAD they had a program, tagged, “Innovative strengthening of small holder farmers towards productive land restoration”, and the programme was developed by AUDA- NEPAD Continental (the African body).
She added that the program was being mainstreamed within the 22 states that signed up in Nigeria by the NEPAD national office and Enugu state happened to be one of the states selected for the implementation of the program.
The Senior Special Assistant said the program aims to strengthen the capacity of SmallHolder farmers so that they will begin to farm in a larger quantity.” It was also geared at ending poverty in our nation and increasing yield of farmers”, she said..
“Today ,Enugu state office had partnered Nigeria Export Promotion Council, South East Regional office for the capacity building . My advice to the participants, is that a lot has been said to them today. and listening through , they are like advanced Courses for them that are already in the farming business.. So, it’s for them to go back and implement these new strategies that they had been told. So that we will begin to have increased yield,” she said .
She announced that the program will be replicated to other senatorial zones and they will step it down, local government by local government, ward by ward to have more of the farmers trained.
Pix- Mgbeojikwe Eugenia
On her part, a Resource person, Mgbeojikwe Eugenia, noted that the problem farmers have is that they don’ t know how to plan their farming system . She said good Planning is the key to good yields.
In her presentation on ” Good Agronomic practices for rice, cassava, cashew, oil palm, orange flesh , sweet potato, and Nsukka yellow pepper’, Mgbojikwe said, “before you go into farming , you must plan inorder to get higher output . Get your farm land and the stems, seedlings ready to farm “
She urged farmers to buy good seedlings, certified seedlings inorder to have good yields. She spoke on land preparation and planting, Pest management, harvesting among others .
On land preparation and planting of rice, she said for direct sowing, the field should be ploughed and bonded, Upland rice does not require nursery , plant when tbe rains are established. Planting methods are broadcasting , dribbling and drilling at recommended spacing . Upland can be planted on flat land or basins .
On harvesting of rice , she said it should be done when 80% of the paddy turns yellow that is before full ripening, so that looses of grain in harvesting and breakage of dry grains during threshing are minimized dry to 12,13%moisture content.
On planting Cassava, the Resource person said stem cuttings are planted at 1 m* 1 m spacing either on flats, ridged or mounds. Cassava should be planted at the depth of at least 30cm deep and unsprouted ones should be uprooted and you don’t plant another one there .
She also spoke on value chains of Cashew, Rice, cassava, , oil palm, Orange sweet potatoes ,and Nsukka yellow pepper,
The Resource person advised farmers to always plan well, source their materials, weed early , apply fertilizer early, select the site for the farm, , carry out soil test to know the type of soil, the fertility of the land .and what to plant there , for them to have bumper harvest for both eating and Commercial purposes
Highlight of the event was distribution of
Orange Flesh Sweet potatoes stems to farmers. The potatoes she said, is eaten raw,. It is nutritious and highly medicinal.
Author – Maureen Ikpeama