IFAD-VCDP PRESENTS SCORE CARD; CANVASSES LEGISLATION ON STANDARD MEASUREMENT OF BAGGED FOOD PRODUCE IN ENUGU
Reporter: CHUKWUBUIKE MADU
Enugu State Coordinator, Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Dr. Edward Isiwu, has called for a legislation to ensure that bags of rice and other bagged farm produce meet the standard weight before they are put on sale. Dr. Isiwu made the call at the presentation of the Enugu State VCDP 365 Days Score Card held in Enugu.
Enugu is among the 9 states in Nigeria participating in the IFAD – Federal Government Assisted VCDP and the programme runs in 5 local government areas of Enugu State: Aninri, Isiuzo, Nkanu East, Udenu and Enugu East. The programme focuses on market development and productivity enhancement along rice and cassava commodity value chains only, and it targets women and youth farmers in the rural areas, who cultivate not more than 5 hectres of rice or cassava as well as processors and marketers of two commodities with the aim of expanding their economic opportunities.
Presenting Scorecard for 365 Days of their operation, Enugu State Coordinator, Value Chain Development Programme, Dr. Edward Isiwu, noted that 104 farmers, who were given input to go into dry season rice production between January and March 2021, produced 489 metric tons of rice, generating over 73 million naira after sales.
“104 farmers of 47 males and 57 females were linked to buyers to off take 489 metric tons of paddy rice.
“After sales we are proud to say that they gathered #73,350,000.00 as revenue at #150,000 per ton,” Dr. Isiwu stated with joy.
Dr. Isiwu said apart from building capacity of rice and cassava, farmers through various specialised training and sensitisation visits within and outside the state, the programme built solar powered boreholes, access roads and culverts, market stalls, rice and cassava processing centres in the benefitting communities as well as provision of motorcycles for extension workers and tricycles for farmers.
The benefitting farm communities were Okpanku & Oduma-Achalla in Aninri LGA; Orba, & Ezimo-Agu in Udenu LGA; Eha-Amufu, Mbu & Epeye-Amede in Isi-Uzo LGA; Ugwogo-Nike & Ogbeke-Nike in Enugu East LGA; Nara, Amagunze & Nkerefi in Nkanu East LGA.
While noting that 223 farmers would be given digital weighing scales called for a legislation to ensure standard in the weight of bagged farm produce, which he described as a major challenge in the marketing of rice in the State.
“We trained 173 farmers in rice and cassava production and we are giving each of these farmers a digital weighing scale and we are writing through the Commissioner for Agriculture to the Enugu State House of Assembly asking that they should please put in motion that sales of rice and cassava and other bagged produce in every market in Enugu State the use of tin or bushel will entirely stop.
“We want them to start using standard weight and measure so that if you say you are buying 25kg bag of rice, the 25kg bag will be weighed and it will be 25kg.
“Most of the 25kg bags in the market are less in quantity: some are 19kg, 21kg, 22kg. It is high time the VCDP stopped these anomalies,” the VCDP State Coordinated canvassed.
Dr. Isiwu also identified insecurity, particularly herders’ attacks on some farms; fake cooperative groups; and lack of youth interest in farming as part of the challenges facing the programme. Enugu State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Matthew Idu, expressed satisfaction with the performance of IFAD-VCDP so far in the State.
“I’m saying from analytical point of view IFAD-VCDP has scored a very high mark and I am not exerggerating anything because what IFAD has done here in one year, in some states where IFAD is already intervening, they have not done it in 3 years.
“The state Ministry of Agriculture as a supervising ministry is happy with you; the Federal Ministry of Agriculture is happy with you.
“The work you do is in the community and they come back to us and tell us what you have done; our staff visit where you work; personally I visit the sites even without you knowing.
“This is the end of the year and you have don your next year’s work plan and what it means is that more is expected of you. Any day you slack, I will tell the people of Enugu State,” he commented.
In a goodwill message, the Executive Director, Development Education Centre (DEC) Enugu, Dr. Cecilia Asogwa, pledged to partner IFAD-VCDP in manpower training, but urged communities to own the agricultural programme.
“The message is that they should strengthen all their areas of intervention by strengthening the people who are beneficiaries of the programme because there isn’t need doing a programme with people, especially community based programme and the ownership is not there.
“If the ownership doesn’t take control a little, when you move, the whole programme will fall.
“That’s why I raised the issue of sustainability by training and by capacity building of the leaders so that they can own the project at the elapse of the programme by IFAD,” Dr. Asogwa advised.
The event attracted Traditional Rulers, the state Head of Service and other government functionaries who also presented their goodwill messages. Pre-wetting machines and tricycles were later given to some extension agents and farmers at the end of the event.