By Our Reporter
The Assakio and Agwatashi communities in Nasarawa State have celebrated the construction of Rice Value Chain Projects by Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) in their areas.
SAA in collaboration with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has built Rice Value Chain Development Centres in Assakio and Agwatashi in Lafia and Obi Local Government Areas ( LGAs) of the state, with funding from the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGOs and the people of Japan.
At the commissioning of the two centres on Thursday, one of the beneficiaries of the project, Mr Ogah Atoshi said the completion and inauguration of the processing centre in Assakio in Lafia LGA was a dream come true and a blessing for farmers in the area.
Atoshi who is the Acting Chairman of Apashi Woza Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society, said farmers in the area were excited that the Rice Value Chain Development Centre was built in the community to enable farmers to process and market their produce. He described the project as the first of its kind in the area.
According to him, SAA had earlier trained rice farmers on how to manage the newly built facility to manage the state-of-the-art processing centres to enhance productivity.
” Today, we are happy to witness the commissioning of the facility where we have a stream of business opportunities, 300 tons warehouse capacity that is opened for both members of our cooperative and non-members to be able to store their goods for safety.
“We are grateful to SAA and the Japanese MOFA for choosing Assakio for this project and we assure you that we won’t disappoint you. We will manage the centre,” he said.
Another beneficiary, the Women Leader of Apashi Woza Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society, Mrs Tabitha Meshack, expressed joy over the completion as well as the commissioning of the facility.
Meshack was grateful to SAA, alongside her partners for the knowledge gained on how to process their rice, saying that the centre would help in producing the best quality rice and it would also boost productivity.
She equally thanked the Nasarawa State government for supporting the success of the project and expressed optimism that the centre will realize the purpose for which it was built.
On his part, Osoho of Olotsoho, Dr Umar Apashi, lauded the intervention by SAA in his community, Agwatashi, Obi LGA, saying that the project will go a long way in improving the livelihoods of the people of the area and the state at large.
“This will empower our people in various ways. Just as Nigeria is trying to diversify its economy from oil to agriculture, this is one of the ways of empowerment of the people – skills acquisition. This will go a long way in improving the economy of the Local Government and State at large,” he said.
He, therefore assured SAA of full utilization of the facility to add value to the lives of the people and the economy of the State.
The Ambassador, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Nigeria, Dr Matsunaga Kazuyoshi while performing the inauguration of the two centres said the project was initiated to strengthen the capabilities of rice cooperatives by developing crucial infrastructures such as storage facilities and training centres to increase Agricultural productivity.
Ambassador Kazuyoshi, represented by the Deputy Head of Mission/ Counsellor, Hiromi Otsuki said the project was a remarkable approach to decarbonizing rice production and processing while adopting fertilizer-saving technologies.
Kazuyoshi stated that the Japanese government would continue to support the agricultural sector through various initiatives by encouraging the development of a more diversified and resilient economy in Nigeria away from the crude oil sector.
In his remarks, Governor Abdullahi Sule represented by the General Manager, of Nasarawa State Water Board, Ahmed Abubakar, commended the organization and the Japanese Government for their support and called for more collaboration between the organization and other spirited individuals.
Earlier, the Country Director of SAA, Dr Godwin Atser said each centre comprised of a 300-ton Warehouse, furnished Farmer Training rooms, Modular Rice Milling and Processing Machines.
Atser revealed further that other components include; two Aggregation Tricycles, a Tromso Machines for converting rice husk to briquettes and three Power Generators.
He, therefore called on the beneficiaries to make adequate use of the facility to sustain and strengthen food security across the state and Nigeria at large.
The communication officer of SAA Nigeria, Mr Moses Nongoatse, further explained that the Rice Value Chain Development centres represent just one facet of the SAA’s dedication to Nasarawa state as the organisation is spearheading numerous ongoing projects in the state.
He said such projects include; core agricultural development programmes funded by the NIPPON Foundation, a decarbonisation of rice production initiative supported by the African Development Bank; and the building of an Economically Sustainable Integrated Cassava Seed System Project—a cassava seed systems project implemented in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).