Capacity building, stakeholders’ engagement crucial for crop cultivation, processing

FG, NIHORT train 200 on okra, telfairia production

As part of efforts aimed at maximising the potential of okra and Telfairia crops, the Federal Government has hinged on the need for capacity building and stakeholders engagement as crucial element to scale up the cultivation and processing of the crops .

This was disclosed during a training for youths and women in Kwara Central Senatorial District, Kwara State on okra and telfairia production, as well as value addition of the crops.

The training, organised by the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, in conjunction with National Horticulture Research Institute (NIHORT), was targeted at 200 youths and women, who were also empowered during the programme.

The exercise covered nursery practices, transplanting techniques, field establishment and management, harvesting techniques, postharvest loss in okra/telfairia supply chain, economics of okra/telfairia production, value addition, as well as record keeping in agribusiness.

This was aimed at building the capacity of youth and women on production and value addition of okra and telfairia for creating wealth and generating means of sustainable livelihood.

The CEO/Executive Director of NIHORT, Professor Attanda Mohammed Lawal, represented by the institute’s Director of Research/Horti-consultancy Ventures Limited, Dr. Sunday Oluseyi Akinyemi, said the training would boost the Federal Government’s efforts and focus on agriculture, as a veritable means of diversifying Nigeria’s economy.

According to him, telfairia and okra are commercially viable and a money-spinner for those who understand the value chain. The Executive Director stressed the need to maximise the potential of commodities, capacity building and stakeholders’ engagement, noting that this is very crucial among other efforts to scale up the cultivation and processing of the crops.

He said: “Okra and telfairia serve as an industrial raw material for the canning industry for making dry okra, okra tea, dry telfairia and telfairia tea powder. It is a low capital agribusiness. I want to urge the beneficiaries to make best use of the knowledge and skills acquired in the training.”

Alhaji Ambali Shuaib Adebayo, who represented the Senator Representing Kwara Central Senatorial District, Senator Saliu Mustapha, in his statement, admonished the trainees to use the opportunity to establish a good business, by establishing telfairia and okra farms, noting that it will bring them quick income within three months.

Two of the participants, Mr. Abdulraham Ganiyu and Mrs. Adijat Hassan, expressed gratitude to the Federal Government and NIHORT, adding that the skill acquired during the training will help them in starting their own telfairia and okra production.