By Stephen Adeleye.
The Kogi State IFAD Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD/VCDP), on Friday trained farmers and other stakeholders on standard weight and measures for the benefit of farmers and buyers within the system.
While declaring the workshop open in Lokoja, the State Programme Coordinator of IFAD/VCDP, Dr Stella Adejoh, urged participants to apply adequate weight and measure systems to ensure effective service delivery.
She noted that the training initiated by Kogi VCDP as part of its efforts to ensuring that stakeholders were abreast with the latest practices in standard weight and measures.
This, she said would ensure that both farmers and buyers have value for the products and money respectively.
Dr Adejoh said that the participants were the value chain actors, operators and the regulatory bodies from the five benefitting local government areas such as Lokoja, Ajaokuta, Kabba/Bunu, Olamaboro and Ibaji.
She enjoined the 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.
She added 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 Governor Yahaya Bello, was poised to improving the lives of the citizens and urged farmers to brace up 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 in the state.
On his parts, Mr. Victor Eyika, VCDP Business Marketing Development Officer, who demonstrated the use of Weighing scale, advised participants to adhere strictly to the reading standard.
He emphasised that the strict adherence to the standard reading would avoid miscalculations and sharp practices that were inimical to the system.
Speaking on behalf of the Farmers, Mr. Samuel Ochimana, thanked the State Governor, Alh. Yahaya Bello, for supporting farmers always to improve their productivities.
Ochimana assured the commitment of farmers to farming activities to ensure that the present administration achieved the set objectives in the Agricultural sector.
(NAN)
