The National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTs) has commissioned a modular rice processing mill for women cooperatives and is distributing point-of-sale (POS) machines to support Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) in Niger State as part of their efforts to enhance production and guarantee food security in the state and the nation as a whole.
The project was built at Gbamanda, Gidan Mangoro village in Bosso Local Government Area of the state, in collaboration with Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) under AGRA/Niger state partnership.
Dr. Ken Ukaoha, President of NANTs, stated that increasing productivity and adding value to food security will be achieved by providing Point of Sale (POS) facilities and distribution to corporations.
He continued by saying that since the processing plant is now closer to the farmers, more people would turn to farming as a source of income from the facility.
“Rice and Maize are major commodities produce in large quantities in the community, farmers will not have to travel long distance again to process their corps,” he stated.
In order to maximize the benefits of the governor’s agricultural revolution, he encouraged women and young people in the community to organize cooperative organizations. He praised Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago for his significant investments in agriculture.
According to Mr. Godswill Agwuyi, a representative of AGRA, the organization works in 16 local governments along the value chain of rice, maize, and soy.
He emphasized that the focus is to support smallholder farmers in their transition to becoming large-scale farmers. The center will enable farmers to process their products without the need to travel to other locations.
Governor Umaru Bago of Niger State praised AGRA for its intervention, noting that the organization had become well-known throughout the state. He was represented by Dr. Matthew Ahmed, the Permanent Secretary of the Niger State Ministry for Agriculture.
Governor Bago encouraged various cooperative groups to take advantage of the center to enhance their production. He highlighted that apart from processing crops, the center would also create job opportunities, with women being the major beneficiaries. He urged them to utilize the facility to generate wealth.
The Village Head of Gidan Mangoro, Alhaji Sani Adamu, expressed gratitude to the donor for the facility. He assured that the center would be used to improve production and would be adequately maintained.
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