Farmers from Akwanga/Nassarawa-Eggon/Wamba Federal Constituency have expressed gratitude for the intense training they received on Agricultural Business.
The farmers bare their minds on Friday in Akwanga Local Government Area (LGA) at day two of the empowerment and training programme organised by Jeremiah Umaru (APC) member representing the constituency at the federal House of Representatives.
Haruna Ayaka, from Nassarawa-Eggon LGA said the importance of human capital development cannot be overemphasised, hence the need to commend the members for increasing their capacity to be farmers as well as business people.
He added that the training had seriously benefited them in the area of post-harvest storage to avoid wastages to the business opportunities that exist in agricultural sector.
Dahiru Mohammed from Wamba LGA said the explanation on business planning by the facilitator had really opened their eyes.
“We were told that with proper planning and knowledge, a farmer would get double of yields that someone without the proper knowledge and planning can get,” he added.
Hawa Idris from Akwanga LGA said that they were also encouraged to form cooperative societies to enable them access loans and other supports to grow their business.
Also, Aisha Bashir from Wamba said they are really proud of the member for his performance so far, as he had proven that the people of the area had not made a mistake by voting for him.
“We now know that farming is no longer for the poor people as being insinuated, but a lucrative business with many opportunities to be explored,” she added.
In his lecture, Mr Tashi Dave, a facilitator at the programme said agricultural business is a lucrative business capable of changing lives and transforming the economy of the country.
He explained that for any business owner to be successful, there is need for proper planning to clearly define the type of products or services to engage in based on the needs of the people of their respective areas.
“Intending agricultural business owners should have a marketing plan, financial plan, invest time in market research, identify market and market strategies, prepare for unique challenges, plan for the future amongst others.
“If all the above steps are taken into consideration before starting a business, there is possibility of having a successful and sustainable business,” he added.
The facilitator also encouraged the farmers to operate a clean structure and plan to enable him or her to get support and soft loans to expand their businesses.
The training and empowerment programme for farmers was organised in collaboration with the Federal College of Agriculture, Produce Technology, Kano, Kano.
The participants were drawn from the 35 electoral wards of the three Local Government Areas (LGAs) that made up the federal constituency.
In his goodwill message, Alex Emmanuel-Umbugu, Nasarawa State Chairman of Labour Party who is also a participant, commended the member for carrying everybody along irrespective of political party affiliation.
He, therefore, prayed God to help the member and give him more wisdom and strength to succeed in his mandate.
The lawmaker represented by Bala Moses-John his Special Adviser on projects explained that at the end of the training on Saturday, every participant would be given one pumping machine, three bags of fertiliser, knapsack sprayer, and other farming inputs.
