NSPRI trains 1,500 Kwara farmers on post harvest management

NIGERIAN Stored Product Research Institute (NSPRI) has trained a total number of 1,500 rural farmers in the Ilorin East and Ilorin South federal constituency of Kwara state on post harvest management of their agricultural produce.

Speaking during the second batch training programme on pilot post seasonal intervention in Ilorin, the executive director of the institute, Dr. Patricia Pessu, condemned unhygienic and unhealthy ways some farmers dry their agricultural produce.

Dr. Pessu, represented by Dr. Adegbola Adetayo, said solar drying method, as against drying farm produce on road sides or open spaces should be discouraged to attract high productivity and more financial proceeds on their farming activities.

She said that the research institute is the only agric institute saddled with responsibility of training farmers on post harvest management of agricultural products and storage practice, advising the participants to put all what they learnt to practice in order to be successful in agribusiness.

The NSPRI also gave a thumb up for the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for the vision to better lives of the people, while it lauded efforts of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq for complementing the vision and Hon. Abdulganiyu Cook-Olododo for the efforts to attract the project to the area.

Also speaking, the lawmaker representing Ilorin-East and Ilorin-South Federal Constituency, Hon. Abdulganiyu Cook-Olododo, said that empowering farmers with the modern ways of drying agricultural produce is one of the strategies to increasing food production in the country.

The lawmaker, who was represented by the former Ilorin-East LGA chairman, Alhaji Saad Ahmed Babatunde, noted that agriculture is the mainstay of the nation’s economy that generate more than 80 per cent employment.

He said that eight Solar Dryers would be constructed with four in each of his constituencies to ease method farmers dry their farm produces and enhance hygienic food production.

In his welcome address, the Principal Consultant of Synergy Impact Consultant Limited, Engineer Joshua Ayodele Adeshina, said production of food crops in Nigeria has increased due to the recent advocacy for the diversification of the economy.

Engineer Adeshina said the programme is to broaden the skills and knowledge of the selected participants in the area of post harvest management with concentration on the use of solar dryer tent to ensure food hygiene, sufficiency and prevention of post harvest loss.

He called on participants to do everything possible to sustain the knowledge acquired during the training to be utilized in their various communities.

Speaking at the commissioning of the solar dryer tent in Ilota, the representative of Olota of Ilota, Alhaji Muda Olanrewaju appreciated the lawmaker representing Ilorin-East and Ilorin-South federal constituency for his support towards the development of the community.

Alhaji Olanrewaju appealed to the state government to make the community roads accessible to transport the farm produces to Ilorin metropolis.

#EndSARS: Nigeria Police To Host Naira Marley On Live Chat 

In response to concerns and complaints by Nigerian youths on the issue of unprofessional conducts by some Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the force has invited Nigerian singer and rapper, Azeez Fasola, popularly known as Naira Marley, to a live interview session with its Public Relations officer on Instagram.