By Samuel

The National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) in partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution (AGRA) has trained women farmers on Improved Rice Processing and Packaging Techniques in Kaduna.

The capacity building event held at the Skills Acquisition and Enterprise Development Centre of NAERLS, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, from July 15 – 17.

The women farmers’ groups were also equipped with materials for rice production and processing.

NAERLS and AGRA via the Community-Based Advisor project have reportedly trained over a hundred thousand farmers in Kaduna and Niger states between March 2019 and July 2020 on three major crops including Rice, Maize, and Soybean.

Executive Director of NAERLS, Prof. MK Othman, during an interactive session with trainees and trainers, reiterated the project’s commitment to developing the country’s agricultural sector.

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She added that building the capacity of Nigerian Farmers was a major thrust of the NAERLS/AGRA CBA project.

On her part, Dr. Esther Ibrahim of AGRA encouraged the trainees to ensure that they utilise the knowledge and skills gained to improve productivity and livelihood.

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Also, the Principal Investigator of the Project, Professor CK Daudu, in his remarks, noted that other training for farmers, processors, aggregators, and marketers were also lined up for the year.

Farmers after the training received input such as rice seedlings from NAERLS/AGRA to augment their production.

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