Farmer Tasks Govt On Storage Facilities

A commercial
farmer in Rivers State, Mr Jerry Osi, has called on governments at all levels to provide adequate storage and processing facilities to enable farmers to increase their productivity.
Speaking with The Tide in Port Harcourt, recently, Osi stated that the provision of adequate storage and processing facilities would help to boost agricultural production in the country.
Osi, an agriculturist by training noted that the absence of these facilities was responsible for the huge post-harvest losses recorded by farmers in the country.
According to him, the challenge was more evident especially during the rainy season  when there is little or no sun to facilitate the preservation of produce.
The agriculturist, however, appealed to the government at the federal and state levels to use their machinery to continuously educate farmers on new agricultural techniques to enable them improve on their farming methods.
He also commended the state and Federal Governments for initiating programmes and policies that would promote agriculture in the country.
Osi also urged the Federal government to expand the scope of the stored products research institutes, and make them more viable and responsive in terms of research for storage of agricultural produce.
He expressed worries that the impact of the Nigerian Stored Product Research Institute (NSPRI) at Rumueme in Port Harcourt had not been felt remarkably in the catchment area for obvious reasons.

Women preparing food during a practical session on processing food for school feeding and family nourishment organised by Federal Ministry of Agriculture in Gombe, recently. Photo: NAN

Corlins Walter