Adedapo Adesanya
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) says no fewer than 180 persons living in Ebonyi State will benefit from agric-chain business under its Development and Empowerment Programme (ADEP).
This was announced by the Assistant Director, Agribusiness Development and Extension of the agency, Mr Hilary Okwor, during a Post Training Visit to trainees in Abakaliki on Friday.
Mr Okwor said that ADEP was designed to encourage youths and women to embrace agric-business development as well as ensuring food security and job creations in the country.
The director said that the 180 persons were selected across the 13 local government area of Ebonyi.
“The participants, who have undergone three-phase of training, will be equipped with requisite skills needed to transit to modern agriculture practices.
“They have been taught how to develop agricultural value chain and ensure sustainable agricultural practices.
“And how to facilitate access to funding through Anchor Borrower Programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“I am still urging them to produce because if you don’t have products, you will not benefit from the empowerment.
“Think of a product you can venture into and learn more on packaging and branding to fit into the market,” Mr Okwor said.
Mr Chigozie Asochukwu, Ebonyi SMEDAN Manager, who said that agriculture was imperative to economic growth, urged the participants to make good use of what they had learnt.
“There is an issue of food insecurity that is already threatening the nation. This is a direct intervention in this direction through SMEDAN.
“I urge the trainees to embrace hard working, develop a good farming business, think more on packaging; Abakaliki Rice is selling around the country because of the repackaging,” Mr Asochukwu said.
According to him, agriculture contributes 34 per cent of the national GDP and directly employs over 30 per cent of the populace, including the vast majority of rural folks.
