Business
NANTS Launches New Irrigation Facility For Farmers
The National Association
of Nigerian Traders (NANTS) says it has introduced ‘affordable’ motorbike mobilised irrigation facility to farmers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The president of the association, Mr Ken Ukaoha, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, recently. Ukoha explained that the reason behind the introduction of the equipment was because farmers could not afford sophisticated irrigation facility.
‘’Farmers who produce the food we have on our tables cannot afford big farm implements and this irrigation facility which cost N15,000 will be widely accepted by the smallholder farmers.’’
He added that the association had also undertaken “pre-season, in-season and post-harvest training” for some selected farmers in the FCT. The NANTS leader expressed the hope that the selected farmers would in turn train their cooperative members.
Ukaoha listed some of the training to include pest management, weed management, crop care, how to minimise wastages during harvest period and where to access markets for commodities.
‘’Most farmers do not know their input and output, so NANTS inculcate these rudiments into these farmers so that they can begin to see farming as a business.’’
He said that the association had also mobilised and trained 1,500 farmers within the six area councils of the FCT on the cassava value chain.
Ukaoha noted that the farmers within these councils now had access to milling facilities and markets for their commodities.