Kogi State Government has pledged to assist women farmers to embark on mechanized farming as part of the state’ s agricultural road map toward food security.
The state ’s Commissioner for Agriculture , Dr Tim Diche, made this pledge at the bi-monthly meeting of the State Agriculture Vision Group, Core Delivery Team, Agriculture Innovative Team and key stakeholders at Lokoja on Saturday 22nd Oct., 2016.
The meeting was facilitated by Synergos, a
global Non - Governmental Organisation ( NGO ), partnering with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ( BMGF) , on the State Partnership for Agriculture ( SPA ) , project .
The commissioner , represented by Dr Isah
Ochepa , Acting Permanent Secretary in the
ministry, said the women were coming up and very interested adding that with factorisation , they would do excellently.
Mrs Bolanle Ampitan, Kogi state Commissioner for Women and Social Development, urged that
seminars and workshops be organised for
women farmers to sensitize them on modern farming methods and government’s agriculture policies .
Ampitan said there was need to improve on
women farmers’ access to credit facilities
adding that the process had hitherto been
hijacked by ghost and political farmers
denying the real farmers opportunity take
advantage of loans.
She said the state would soon embark on
screening of farmers to sieve the grain from
the chaff and ascertain the real women
farmers adding that the present administration was fully committed to the cause of women .
Mr Victor Adejoh, Kogi Team Lead for
Synergos, in his remarks said the meeting was a solution - driven process with a view to generating information from participants to help address problems in the agriculture
sector.
“ Synergos is a unique organisation that looks at system shift. We are working on complex issues. We are out to catalyze and facilitate processes, provide linkages that allow government to further deliver on its promises in the agriculture sector, ” he said .
The News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN ) , reports that participants from Fadama , ADP , Federal Ministry of Agriculture, farmers’ groups , rice and cassava growers associations, United Bank for Africa , among others, attended the meeting.
Source : NAN
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