8th July 2024, NewsOrient
Opinion, Column, News, Governance And Development,
By Godwin Adindu

Agribusiness Skill Acquisition.

Three Hundred Abia youths have just returned from Nassarawa State where they were mobilized by the state to train on modern agricbusiness skill acquizition.

This is a fulfilment of Governor Otti’s campaign promise. The idea is to expose participants to the untapped wealth creation and job securities in integrated farming.

Governor Otti also aims to develop resource persons who will be empowered to grow the agric sector of the state. The programme is a train-the-trainer and participants are expected to train three other persons in their localities.

The state partnered with Called Servant to Serve (CSS FARMS) Gora in Nassarawa state. The centre is a registered International Skills Acquisition Center (ISAC) on Agribusiness.

Apart from bearing the total expenses for the programme, the Governor also paid stipends to the 300 participatants with a promise to provide them with more incentives to enable establish their farms.

The trainees were carefully selected from INEC political wards in Abia and are expected to train additional three persons from their wards upon their return.

Before their departure, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, told the ambassadors that they are being trained to lead the war against food shortage in the country and to grow the economy through abundant food supply.

The training covered five five agribusiness value chains / enterprises

Open field farming (cassava, yam, rice, and maize Etc)

Poultry (Broiler and Layers)

Fishery (hatchery and Nursery)

Green House and Hydroponic farming.

Value addition.

A participant from Obingwa LGA, Amaraizu David Nnabugwu, says that the programme which was a two weeks package was very resourceful and educative as many professors and doctorate degree holders lectured on all the listed categories of agribusiness enterprises. They were exposed to over fifteen agro businesses and these include:

LEADERSHIP SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IN AGRIBUSINESS

ENTREPRENEURSHIP SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN AGRIBUSINESS

INTRODUCTION TO AGRIBUSINESS AND VALUE CHAIN

FISH FARMING

RICE AND MAIZE PRODUCTION

CASSAVA AND YAM PRODUCTION

POULTRY PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT

DIGITAL AGRICULTURAL AND AGRIBUSINESS

BRANDING, SALES AND MARKETING OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE

RUMINANT NUTRITION AND FATTENING

VALUE ADDITION AND EXPORT

FINANCING AGRICULTURE

THE POWER OF VISION

BUSINESS PLAN FOR AN AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS

IRRIGATION AND FARM MACHINERY TRAINING etc

Bertha Ehumadu from Isiala Ngwa South also testified that the practical session of the programme was topnotch as it was carried out by CSS experts who devoted their time to make it an interactive and educative session replicating all that was lectured into real life scenario. She said that Field Practice by the trainnees were carefully explained on all the processes involved in various fields of their areas of specialization.

The management of CSS integrated farms chaired by Prof. John Kenneth Okpara threw their support to encourage Abia trainnees by providing a take home tablet PC for all trainees and uploaded their lecture materials for convenience and easy access to personally review their training when practicing on their own.

The graduation ceremony of the training witnessed the presence of Dr. Alex chioma Otti OFR and his team who, out of their busy schedule, made it to CSS integrated Farms in Gora, Nassarawa state to reaffirm the government support and assurance to enable them hit the ground running immediately.

Indeed, Governor Otti is deploying many strategies of sustainable development to engage the Abia grassroot.

Adindu writes from Umuahia.

~ NewsOrient