Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
The Federal Government has assisted International Funds for Agricultural Development (IFAD), through the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), on Thursday to train farmers in processors and market women on the use of standard weight and measures for rice and Cassava products.
At a workshop held in Jalingo, the National Programme Coordinator, Dr. Ameh Onoja, who was represented by Mr Kenedy Esinolu urged participants to apply standard weight and measures in selling their products to get value for their investments.
“It is when you have standard and quality products that people can patronize you. That is why you must follow the standards spelt out in the lectures you are going to take.
“If you use poor processing methods and people eat and die, you are responsible for their death and you must be careful,” he said
One of the facilitators, Mrs Rachel Ogunlana called on farmers to ensure quality and standard for their products in order to get value and for the health and well-being of the society.
“You must ensure good hygienic conditions for your products because if your products are bad, it will affect your business and endanger the health of the society,” she warned.
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Earlier, Taraba State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. David Ishaya, called on the state’s House of Assembly to domesticate the law on standard weight and measures in the state for the benefit of farmers and marketers.
Ishaya who thanked VCDP for choosing Taraba for the workshop called for proper sensitisation to enlighten the producers, processors and marketers on the benefits of standard weight and measures.
He noted that the workshop was timely and in line with the rescue mission of the Gov Darius Ishaku’s administration in the state.
Ishaya noted that the implementation of proper weight and measures would help rescue producers and marketers from the hands of cheats.
Mr. Irimiya Musa, the state Programme Coordinator (SPC), represented by the Agricultural Production Officer of the programme, Mr Jonah Yavala called on the participants to be attentive and use the knowledge gained at the workshop to improve on the quality and standard of their products.
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Some of the participants who spoke to our correspondent said the workshop would help them to take stock of how much they put in and the benefits derived.
According to them, the use of standard weight and measures would address the issues of cheats in the market as buyers and sellers would know exactly what they were buying or selling.
Participants at the workshop were drown from Wukari, Gassol, Karim-Lamido, Takum and Ardo-Kola local government areas where VCDP is currently intervening.