By Chibuzor Emejor/ Abuja
Akinwumi Adesina
Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has distributed over 32,000 disease free improved varieties of Plantain/Banana suckers to about 1000farmers in four pilot States in the country.
The benefitting States include Abia, Delta, Oyo and Cross River.
Agric Minister, Akinwumi Adesina, announced this at a six-day Train-the- Trainer Workshop for farmers in Umuahia, Abia State.
The minister represented by Deputy Director, Horticulture Transformation Value Chain and the National Project Co-coordinator, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO-UN) in the Ministry, Michael Kanu, said the Workshop was organised by the Ministry in collaboration with the FAO-UN under the Technical Cooperation Project, aimed at mainstreaming horticulture in the nation's engine of growth for economic diversity, poverty reduction, wealth and job creation.
A statement by the Director of Information in the Ministry, Greyne Anosike, quoted the minister as expressing Nigeria's profound gratitude to FAO-UN Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Louise Sethswealo for supporting the campaign for global food security especially, in Nigeria and urged FAO not to relent.
Earlier, the FAO-UN Country Representative who spoke through the Desk Officer, Technical Cooperation Project, FAO-UN, Adeola Akinrinlola, observed that the Workshop was organised to acquaint farmers in Umuahia, Abia State with the latest Plantain/Banana Production Techniques and post harvest technologies in order to make farming business a profitable venture.
The FAO-UN country representative disclosed that in a bid to accomplish the UN Agricultural support mandate to developing countries, improve in the technical skills of farmers to overcome production constraints and to establish pilot Field Planting Nurseries/suckers as a source of Tissue Culture planting materials beyond the project life time, FAO-UN provided a funding grant of $477,000 Dollars (N77million] to Nigeria`s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to compliment the shortfall in her budgetary provision of $1.4m towards funding this project.
