Centre To Partner LGAs On Food Preservation

The Enugu State Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Centre, says it will partner with the 17 local government chairmen in the state to train youths on food preservation.

The Coordinator of the centre, Mr Nnanyelugo Obasi, said in an interview with newsmen in Enugu, that the idea was to encourage the exportation of food items to other countries.

According to him, it will also encourage youths to be self-employed and become employers of labour.

Obasi explained that the local government chairmen would assist in selecting and funding the youth who would partake in the training.

The coordinator said the youths would also be trained in trades like basket making and palm oil extraction and preservation for export.

“It is our intention this year to train them and counsel them, ensure that our youths in Enugu come out from poverty.

“It is also our intention to go into rural entrepreneurship. Rural entrepreneurship has to do with those who can do oil extraction, basket making and those that do okro businesses in the rural areas.

“How can this okro be preserved; how can they be able to make sure that this okro does not spoil when it is heavily harvested?

“These are the areas we intend to go into and make sure that our people benefit tremendously to reduce poverty to the barest minimum.’’

The coordinator explained that the youths would be trained in the scientific way of food preservation because the local method was no longer tenable in this modern age.

He said that business regulatory services would be rendered to the youths to give them an overview of how to delve into business, adding that the centre would help them to access micro credit from banks.

Obasi appealed to politicians, local government chairmen, and well-to-do individuals to assist in funding SMEs as they were capital intensive.