The Federal Government has trained 500 women and youths in Ogun State on modern vegetable production techniques, as part of efforts to boost food security and create jobs at the grassroots.
The training was done through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, in conjunction with the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT).
Participants are specifically trained on tomato, okra, and Telfairia production techniques as well as the economics of production, marketing, and record-keeping required for the selected vegetable crops.
The empowerment aspect of the training was to support participants with starter packs (cash) and some farm inputs such as seed planters, plastic crates, raincoats, watering cans, and rain boots.
The selected vegetables for the training, tomato, okra, and telfairia, are priority vegetables, which are highly relevant in the nation’s quest for food and nutrition security.
In his welcome address, the Executive Director of NIHORT, Muhammed Attanda, represented by the Training Coordinator, Hort Consultancy Ventures, Joel Akinfasoye noted that Nigeria is the 14th largest producer of tomato and the largest producer of okra in the world.
In the same vein, he stated that telfairia is a vegetable having high prospects for consumption both within and outside Nigeria.
He said the programme is targeted at broadening socio-economic inclusion through the enhancement of food security, employment opportunities, and wealth creation.
He emphasised that adequate capacity building on improved production practices, such as nursery management, field management, pest and disease control, as well as harvesting is important for participants to benefit maximally from these commodities, tomato, okra and telfairia.
Attanda enjoined the participants to make the best use of the opportunity to acquire prerequisite knowledge and skills for vegetable production for progress at both individual and national levels.
He also stated that participants should feel free to contact the institute on any aspects of the horticultural value-chains that may be of interest to them.
