By Kabir Muhammad
Abuja – The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Secretary, has trained about 5,000 residents on new farming skills, in 2018, to boost agriculture and food production.
Mr Nzekwe Ifeanyichukwu, Secretary, Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat (ARDS), said this while addresding journalists, on the activities of the Secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday.
Ifeanyichukwu said the participants were drawn from the six Area Councils of the territory.
He said the training was an open door policy of the secretariat, aimed at attracting genuine investment and boosting the agricultural sector.
The secretary also said 50 women had been trained on” false bottom technology “on rice production in partnership with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Ifeanyichukwu said the secretariat networked 2,000 dry season farmers for Incentive-based Risk Sharing Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) credit facilities.
According to him 2, 000 lead farmers also receieve trainig on post – harvest management of grains, using the triple bag techniques.
He said another set of about 100 trainees graduated from the FCT Centre for Integrated Agricultural Training at Yaba in Abaji Area Council.
The secretary explained that 600 youths, drawn from the six Area Councils, were trained on entrepreneurship in Gwagwalada, to.expose them to numerous opportunities existing in the sector.
Ifeanyichukwu stated that a mentorship programme had been put in place to follow up on the progress of the graduates in order to guide them in their different chosen agricultural vocations.
On other lifeline for farmers in 2018, he said “An inter -agency committee to assess the level of destruction was constituted under the minister’s directive, on flooding and erosion that destroyed farmlands in Kuje, Kwali and Gwagwalada in 2017’’.
He said after the committee’s work, 3,000 farmers were identified and various items, such as 10 metric tons of rice seedlings, 200 cashew seedlings, teak and oil palm seedlings were distributed to them.
The secretary said in the year under view, the secretariat was able to promote harmony between farmers and pastoralists, repositioned activities of cooperative societies, rehabilitation of abattoirs, warehouses and agro service centres.
(NAN)