AfricaRice trains 28 on grains thresher in Kano, distribute 6 threshers to farmers

AfricaRice research center has trained 28 Rice farmers in handling and maintenance of thresher Machines specially fabricated for paddy harvest and production. The intervention by AfricaRice research center, an Africa Development Bank funded project, focuses on food security and poverty alleviation through capacity building to boost local production of Rice, Maize and Wheat in Africa.

The beneficiaries, who are predominantly youths, were selected from 5 local government areas and were taught with nitty-gritty of business development.

Speaking at the ceremony marking the end of the training, AfricaRice monitory and evaluation specialist, Mr. Attiogbevi-Sonado Kafu-Ata told journalists that the three weeks capacity building targeted at empowering young Rice farmers would check restiveness in Northern Nigeria.

Kafu-Ata posited that investment in Rice production in Nigeria was part of Support to Agricultural Research for Development of Strategic Crops in Africa (SARD-SC) on Rice, Maize and Wheat designed for 11 African countries.

He hinted that the African Development Bank funded project is being implemented by SARS-SC, a multi-national consortium through three international research centers including IITA, ICARDA and AfricaRice and were entrusted with cardinal trust of providing technology, capacity building and monitor the workability of the agricultural empowerment initiative and would be run for 5 years between 2012 and 2017 across the 11 countries.

The benefiting countries include Benin, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Niger, Senegal, Sierra-Leone, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania and Madagascar. Managing director, Kano state agricultural development Authority, Prof. Muhammed Danaji said Kano state government has commenced registration of 10,000 Rice farmers to benefit from Central Bank of Nigeria Rice anchor borrowers program. Danaji reiterated that the federal government intervention will enable registered Rice farmers get high quality seeds, fertilizers, chemicals and significant capital for production saying that the initiative would further improve massive production of rice locally. At the end of the training AfricaRice disbursed 6 thresher machines to the local government areas where participants originated from.