NIHORT Trains 200 Women, Youths On Plantain Value Chain 

In a bid to align with the Federal Government’s paradigm shift from petroleum based economy to agriculture, the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT) has trained 200 farmers on plantain value chain in Delta State.
The training and empowerment programme, organised and supervised by NIHORT in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food  Security, was aimed at improving the livelihood of the farmers, not just in Delta State, but also across the country where similar programmes have been held and are to be held.
The beneficiaries are mostly women farmers and unemployed youth in Ndokwa West Local Government, Ndokwa East Local Government, and Ukwani Local Government Areas of Delta State, Nigeria.
The Executive Director of NIHORT, Dr. Mohammed Lawal Attanda, who was represented by Director of Research, Dr. Ephraim Nwanguma, said the training will equip women and youth with skills and competencies necessary in plantain value chain that will ensure sustainable agricultural  development, improve individual income and economic empowerment.
He also  noted that the Federal Government’s efforts and focus on agriculture to strongly drive the diversification of the country’s economy, will be enhanced through the training, saying, “The training would promote food security, employment opportunities, wealth creation and improve household income.
He said the institute’s mandate is to conduct research into genetic improvement, production technologies, processing, storage, utilization and marketing of fruits, vegetables, ornamental plants and spices.
He added that NIHORT has competence in building the capacity of stakeholders in arrays of horticultural crops such as plantain, banana, citrus, mango, tomato, pepper, Irvingia, and mushrooms across the country.
The Coordinator of the workshop, Dr. J. A. Akinfasoye, gave an overview of the workshop, and what the participants should expect during the training.
He also encouraged the participants to fully participate in the workshop to acquire the knowledge and skills that would enhance their livelihood and the development of the country.
The Managing Director of the consulting firm, GAKFAWS Investments Consult Ltd, Ambassador Chibuzor Okereke, in his remark, appreciated the Federal Government for the empowerment programme to alleviate poverty of the populace.
He expressed gratitude to the lawmaker for facilitating the training programme, and encouraged the participants to transfer the skills acquired to others.
The training was aimed at promoting food security, employment opportunities, wealth creation, household income, and health status of the populace.
It covered plantain ripening and areas of intervention, value added products from plantain, pre-processing operations, modes of drying, packaging, storage, flow chart for processing plantain products, plantain chip processing business and economics of plantain value addition.
Participants at the training commended NIHORT and promised to put into practice all the knowledge acquired from the   training. They also affirmed that the commodity value chain has potential to contribute to food security, generate employment and sustainable livelihood.
Two of the participants bared their minds after the training: Mrs. Fidelia Oyemike said she has a better understanding of the plantain value addition, while Mr. Achudume David said he was impressed with the training and planned to start his cottage processing.