As part of measures to ease the transportation of farm produce across the three senatorial districts of Kogi State, the State Coordination Office of the Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support Project (APPEALS), has facilitated the distribution of 39 haulage facilities to 87 marketing groups.
Under the arrangement, eleven trucks, six boxer buses and 22 tricycles were distributed to beneficiaries in the marketing segment under the value chains of rice, cashew and cassava among other support such as Rice de stoner, generators, weighing scale, bag sealing machines and cashew cutters.
A statement explained that the 1,442 marketers are drawn from the 87 marketing groups who were qualified from the series of identification process as spelt out by the project. They are expected to jointly utilize the facilities for the benefit of all group members.
At a ceremony to officially hand over the facilities to the beneficiaries, the Kogi state deputy governor and chairman state steering committee of the APPEALS project in the state, Chief Edward David Onoja, congratulated the beneficiaries and urged them to project 12 years from now and see what they can achieve with the support given to them by the APPEALS project.
He advised them not to sell the support given to them but make good use of them for the benefit of all group members.
Chief Onoja thanked the APPEALS project in the state led by the State Project Coordinator, Dr Sanni Abdullahi Ozomata for transforming the agricultural sector of the state, he recalled the support facilitated by the project across the segments of production, processing and marketing along with the Women and Youth Empowerment programme (WYEP) noting that great value has been added to the Agricultural sector of the state.
He appreciated his Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello for providing the needed leadership that is enabling the state to achieve its potential.
In his address, the State Project Coordinator, Dr Sanni Abdullahi Ozomata, said a bottom-top approach where beneficiaries decide the type of support they wanted was adopted to facilitate the required support.
He said that having facilitated support for those in production and processing, it was the turn of the food marketers in the state to be supported to add value to the state’s food supply chain.
The Honorable Commissioner of Agriculture, Hon. David Apeh, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Kogi State, Mr Sanni Abdulganiyu said the successes recorded by the APPEALS project in the state is as a result of the enabling environment created by the governor for the project to thrive. He urged the beneficiaries to make proper use of the facilities to bring about the desired result.
In his welcome address, the Commercialization and Business Development Officer, for the APPEALS project in the state, Mr Alexander Atama said the beneficiaries have been selected in line with the criteria as spelt out by the project.
He said a major challenge facing the food marketing segment of the value chain is the transportation of farm produce to markets for sale, and that with the provision of these haulage facilities the problem will now be in the past. He appreciated the dignitaries present attending the event despite their busy schedules.
The visibly happy farmers expressed their joy and happiness towards the project. Speaking on their behalf, Chief Yahaya Musa and Madam Marietu Salihu stated that the support received from the APPEALS project in the state are too numerous to mention and that these support are given to them free of any charge. They appreciated the governor and his deputy for supporting the APPEALS project to succeed in the state.
