Kogi Women Farmers Collaborate With Synergos on Rice Production

361
Spread the love

The Kogi chapter of Small Holder Women Farmers Organization of Nigeria (SHOWFON) has entered into an agreement with the state government and Synergos Nigeria on rice production.

Mrs. Safiya Yahaya, the state Coordinator of SHOWFON, who disclosed this in an on Friday in Lokoja, said that the deal would cover rice milling, packaging and marketing.

 

She said that under the agreement, the Kogi State Agricultural Development Project (ADP) would be in charge of the rice milling machines acquired by the state government, while Synergos Nigeria would handle the rice packaging aspect.

 

She said that the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which visited the site of the mill, has approved its operations, adding that by end of June, the SHOWFON-packaged rice would be in the market.

 

Yahaya said that through the venture, women rice farmers in the state would be empowered, adding that the women farmers hitherto struggled to get buyers for their produce.“This time around, the women rice farmers will convey their harvested paddy to the mill where it will be milled, packaged and sold; the women farmers would get paid for their produce immediately,’’ she said.

 

She also stated that over 500 SHOWFON members from the 12 local government areas of the state, who were participating in the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP), had been assisted with machines, herbicides, fertilisers among others.

 

She added that the SHOWFON members constitute the largest number of beneficiaries of ABP, under the aegis of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN).

 

Yahaya said that the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) had set aside about N12 million for the garri’’ processing project of SHOWFON in the state.

 

She also explained that the funds were being channelled to SHOWFON through a micro-finance bank in Abuja and before long, members of the association would be able to access the funds meant for the execution of the project.

Credit: VON


Spread the love



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *