Local Cassava Processor at Utugwang, Cross River |
As the issue of
marketing of agricultural produce is becoming more challenges, stakeholders
have expressed the need for the Federal Government to deplore more funding
support to the Bank of Industry (BOI) for the purpose of financing cottage
processing zones creation which was a Partnership between the Federal Ministry
of Agricultural and Rural Development (FMARD) and other stakeholders at
cassava, rice, palm oil etc.
The stakeholders
expressed that the financial empowerment of BOI to financing the cottage processing
zones would enable more establishment of cottage crops processing factories
that will complement the existing industries along different value chains.
As the FMARD is
passionate about checkmating post harvest loses of farmers and making sure an
effective policy to ensure standard processed agricultural foods are made
available for further processing for off takers, there is need for this effort
to be complemented by fund availability for BOI so that the collaboration will
not suffer as a result of lack of fund.
This summation
according to stakeholders is very necessary to advise government in the
implementation of 2016 policy in the agricultural sector as FG is determined to
give more budget priority to agriculture which they argued that the implement
process must be powered with efficient processing centres adding this was how
wastages could be curbed at the farm gates and job creation at the grassroot of
micro economics of the nation.
Food Farm News gathered that FMARD is already strategizing
effective methods aimed towards achieving the success of this programmes in
cassava, oil palm, rice and other crops in the value chains towards products
quality/standard vigorously, market exploitation (local and international) for
economic power creation in the country as government is urged to put more money
in the Bank of Industry (BOI) for people to get more benefits, just as states should
contribute their quota by reducing the loan rate.
The Federal
Government of Nigeria under the leadership of President Mohammadu Buhari has
signified that the 2016 budget for agriculture and mining will have highest
priorities as against Defence ministry thereby showing his unrelented belief in
backward integrated economy of using the non oil sector of agriculture to
reposition the economy towards financial empowerment of Nigerians in shortest
time.
Finding revealed
that NGOs are been expected to participate towards reducing the loan component
to strengthen the SMEs of the cottage owners as BOI should be more proactive by facilitating
effective disbursement and payment of cottage developers to ensure continuity
of the project.
A source told Food Farm News that the Cassava Cottage Processing and Marketing
Association (CCPMA) is beneficiary group under the Public Private and Partnership
(PPP) arrangement with the FMARD and BOI saying CCPMA is a Community Based
Crops Processing Factories grouped nationally spread out to transform the
industrial setting of our rural areas using Agro business as our weapon for
excellent in food quality and processing.
The source added
that we have the potential to be the largest employer of labor in the rural
area of the country. We are geared towards facilitating the registration of our
members’ factory premises with relevant agencies added that the The federal
department of Agriculture had organized a workshop/Training where the CCPMA society
concept is been agreed upon, and aimed at facilitation of good agricultural
processing activities of investors towards production of improved value added
products in order to meet local market demands as well as volume of exportation.
CCPMA is in
collaboration with relevant agencies such as National Food and Drug
Administration Control (NAFDAC), Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC),
Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), National Agricultural Quarantine
Services (NAQS), for effective linkages and efficient service delivery to the
nation and the world at large factory beneficiaries during which the formation
of the CCPMA was agreed upon.
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