Kogi govt to evolve cassava value chain policy, organise mini-summit

THE Kogi Government has partnered with Synergos Nigeria to evolve a Cassava Value Chain policy as part of efforts to reposition the agriculture sector in line with the Federal Government’s policy.

Mr Victor Adejoh, Synergos Nigeria’s Field Manager for Kogi, Benue and Kaduna states, implementing the State Partnership for Agriculture (SPA), disclosed this in an interview on Monday in Lokoja.

Adejoh said the government has also concluded arrangements to organise a Mini-Summit on Cassava from where the policy would evolve.

He said that aside evolving a policy on cassava value chain, the summit was also aimed at promoting the Agriculture sector towards eventual diversification of the economy.

According to him, the summit, a brainchild of the Agricultural Vision Group (AVG) and Agricultural Innovation Group (AIG) of the SPA, will also help reposition the state on the world map in Cassava Value Chain.

“The mini-summit will through a participatory and inclusive panellist engagement, elicit inclusive steps to evolve a Cassava Value Chain Policy to position Kogi on the world map in the Cassava Value Chain,” he said.

Adejoh said that the summit would be chaired and co-chaired by the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Kehinde Oloruntoba and the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) President in the state, Mrs Rabi Emaiku respectively.

He said that the Ministry of Agriculture in partnership with key ministries, departments and Agencies of government and non-state actors in the Cassava value chain were promoters of the mini Cassava summit billed for Jan.24.

The Synergos Field Manager said Kogi Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Development Project (ADP), Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the State Bureau for Public-Private Partnership (BPPP) would be participating in the summit.

Other participants, he said, included Kogi Chapter of AFAN, FADAMA, Nigerian Cassava Growers Association, CrestAgro Farms Ltd., Unicane Ltd, Bank of Agriculture and NIRSAL.

Also listed are Kogi Network of NGOs, Kogi Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agricultural (KOCIMMA), Federal Ministry of Environment and Small-Scale Women Farmers Organization of Nigeria (SWOFON)