The Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises Niger- Delta LIFE-ND Project in Abia State has held a Step Down Training for incubators (Trainers) and incubatees (Trainers) of the project on uses and application of standards, weights and measures in agro business.
The training was held on Tuesday in Umuahia, the Abia State Capital.
According to the State Project Coordinator (SPC), Dr Uchenna Rowland Onyeizu, the step down training is in collaboration with the Abia State ministry of agriculture to meet the LIFE-ND Project mission and vision. Dr. Onyeizu clarified that the training is to further equip the incubators and incubatees with practical knowledge of the modern agro business practices. He also added that it will help the participants on branding and packaging of their products for more market value.
“We want to build their capacity so that they can process, package and create more value for their product and make more money”. Dr. Onyeizu said.
The training section was anchored by resource persons from the Abia Agricultural Development Program (ADP) which Dr. Onyeizu described as a deliberate move to tap from the knowledge of ADP agronomics to enhance farmers productivity and achieve the LIFE-ND project goals.
Mr. Chukwukezie Godwin, the Abia LIFE-ND Agri-business Promotion Officer while addressing newsmen on the essence of the training said the goal is to make the participants standout above the crowd by educating them on the need to be sustainable in their business such as weights, measure, as well as branding of their products. Mr. Chikezie added that it is also targeted on farmers investor confidence.
The training was for all the agro commodities of Abia LIFE-ND, That is rice production and processing, cassava production and processing, poultry and fishery.
According to the Abia LIFE-ND marketing specialist, Nkechi Kalu Chukwu, while addressing newsmen said she saw the need for the training after receiving series of questions from incubators as regards how to peg pricing in their farm produce as well as branding and packaging.
” Through the management, I have to request to invite the incubators and incubatees so that they can acquire and step down the knowledge they come to acquire to other incubators and incubatees of the LIFE-ND project. We have put in place a mechanism to monitor their activities after this training for effective results”. Nkechi said.
Mr. Gabriel John an agronomist from the Abia State ministry of agriculture served as a facilitator during the training. He said the aim is also to encourage the participants and help them build capacity in terms of how they relate their products to the society. He added that the value of the commodity of any farm produce should be the attention of any farmer. He holds that branding and packaging is a core part of marketing in the farming business.
Odemelam Ifeanyin Kingsley, an incubator of the LIFE-ND Project in rice production was a participant of the training. Odemelam said the training has taught him the need of weighing, pricing and branding of their farm produce.
He also added that he has seen the need for record keeping in the farming business.
Odemelam applauded LIFE-ND Project intervention in the state and assured that he will put the training received into practice.
The LIFE-ND project is been implemented in the nine Niger Delta states: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers. It is targeted to engage 25,500 youth and women, as well as 600 established and potential enterprise incubators. The beneficiaries are youths between aged 18 to 35 years and women-headed households with children under the age of 15. Overall, the project aims to have a 50 per cent female participation rate.
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