Minority Leader Trains Youths, Women, In Rice, Cassava Production

The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, has trained over 200 youths and women from his district on rice and cassava production in Delta state.

The lawmaker who represents Aniocha North, Aniocha South, Oshimili North and Oshimili South Local Government areas of the state, in a statement said, that the beneficiaries were through a well structured capacity training programme on Sunday, September 13th,2020.

The training was organised in partnership with Pure Diamond Consult Limited and Kenvic Moore Biz Ventures Nig. Limited.

Resource persons for the program were sourced from the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute, Ilorin, Kwara State, which also monitored and supervised the exercise.

In the training on rice production, the beneficiaries were exposed to general production of rice, government’s role in implementing the national program for Rice transformation, post-harvest management, harvesting, transportation, drying, milling, losses during storage, methods of storage and the different varieties of rice.

The resource persons also took the participants through the production and processing of cassava, government’s intervention in cassava processing, economic importance of cassava, uses of cassava, storage of cassava tubers, concept of cassava agriculture value chain, opportunities of value addition to cassava in Nigeria, skills in processing cassava roots into so many products, as well as all that is needed to established a sustainable and profitable cassava value addition enterprise.

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Elumelu, who was represented at the event by Chief Nkem Okwuofu, who coordinated the program, said that the training was geared towards empowering the youths and women in Cassava and rice production, adding that the skill acquisition training was to get them involved in agriculture.

Chief Okwuofu said, “There is nothing now more important than agriculture, we are all going to be very much involved in it and this program is the key”, even as she predicted an impending food scarcity in the Country next year.

“Anybody who hasn’t prepared himself or herself for it, is going to face a bit of suffering because you are going to spend your hard earned money buying from others whereas you did not prepare your own farm for harvest.

“So the program is to prepare you to be self-reliant in agriculture where you will be able to feed yourself, feed others and make money for yourself”, Chief Okwuofu said, while congratulating the participants for being among the beneficiaries  of the empowerment program. 

“Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu facilitated this unique program, he attracted it for your benefit. How did you come in yourself; that is really the way God meets anybody. Some persons were asked to look at those local Government areas that he represents and out of all the youths and women that are there, they picked you up. So it is a sign that you are heading somewhere.

Chief Okwuofu who is also the Chairman of the Delta State Civil Service Commission commended the Minority Leader, Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu for coming up with the empowerment training.

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Some of the beneficiaries including: Osaji Faith from Oshimili North, Harrison Azuka Eshone from Aniocha North, Josephine Ogbechei from Aniocha South and Emmanuel Anene from Oshimili South, appreciated Hon. Ndudi Elumelu for the capacity training programme, saying that his representation has continued to impact them positively.

The participants, the statement said, went home with starter packs to boost their businesses.