The Adamawa State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting farmers and improving the quality of agricultural produce in the state as part of efforts to boost productivity and expand access to local and international markets
The State Commissioner for Commerce, Trade and Industry, Hon Joab Haggai Sahma, stated this at a capacity-building workshop on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and pesticide management for smallholder farmers held on Friday in Numan.
The workshop, organised by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), North-East Regional Office, Yola, brought together more than 60 farmers and other stakeholders from Numan and Demsa Local Government Areas
Represented by the Assistant Director, Department of Commerce, Aliyu Yahaya Shehu, the Commissioner said the state government was supporting farmers through agricultural inputs and other interventions aimed at improving their livelihoods and strengthening agricultural production
He said the government, in collaboration with the NEPC, had facilitated the free registration of potential exporters to enable them to participate in export-related activities and take advantage of opportunities in international markets
Shehu urged farmers to embrace good agricultural practices and produce commodities that meet required safety and quality standards for domestic consumption and export
Speaking at the workshop, the NEPC North-East Regional Coordinator, Dr Ben Anani Egon, said the training was designed to equip smallholder farmers with knowledge on the safe, responsible and effective use of pesticides.
Egon, who represented the Executive Director of the NEPC, Mrs Nonye Ayeni, said participants were trained on pesticide handling, storage and application, personal safety, environmental protection and compliance with relevant regulatory standards.
He expressed concern that some Nigerian agricultural exports continued to face rejection at border control points because of excessive pesticide residues and other contaminants
According to him, pesticide residues such as dichlorvos exceeding permissible limits have contributed to the rejection of some Nigerian agricultural commodities in international markets
He said the workshop formed part of the NEPC’s pesticide management project under its risk management initiative aimed at addressing the challenge and improving the competitiveness of Nigerian agricultural exports
Egon assured farmers of the Council’s continued collaboration with the state government and other stakeholders to improve the quality and marketability of agricultural produce from Adamawa
A resource person at the workshop, Hajara Adamu, sensitised participants to Good Agricultural Practices, appropriate pesticide use and environmentally sustainable farming methods
She urged the farmers to put the knowledge acquired into practice and share it with other farmers in their communities
Participants, including Clara Heman and Ark Audu, described the training as timely and beneficial, saying it would improve their farming practices and help position them to take advantage of export opportunities
The workshop ended with the distribution of agricultural inputs and equipment, including knapsack sprayers, boots and other farming tools, to participants