William Attah, Gombe
The Managing Director of Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX), Zaheera Baba-Ari has tasked farmers in Gombe State on the need to improve their farming business by properly storing and marketing their produce for national and international markets.
The Chief Executive Officer of NCX who was represented at a training session on warehouse management for 200 farmers cut across the eleven Local Government Areas of Gombe State, said the training was expected to bring Nigerian farmers out of poverty as they were taught how to store produce and trade it effectively.
Represented by Mr. Benson Lawal, Operational Manager, NCX, Mrs. Zaheera said farmers have been producing without yielding a positive result because they do not know how to preserve their produce, hence the need to build their capacity on improved storage and marketing.
According to Lawal, the training was a collaboration between the Exchange and Sandstone Associate Limited aimed at enhancing the capabilities of the farmers in Gombe state and creating food security for the country.
“We showed them how to Store their produce effectively, pending the time they are ready to sell the produce as well as encourage them to have interest in embracing Commodity exchange,” he said.
The Operations Manager said, farmers have been producing without yielding a positive result because they do not know how to preserve their produce.
The training was equally expected to help them sell their produce at reasonable price, get better income which will enhance their living standard.
He added that effort is being put in place to ensure that Gombe state government provides a warehouse for the storage of commodities that will boost agricultural production.
He said the agrarian nature of the state and it’s central position in the Northeast region has attracted Nigeria Commodity Exchange to key into such programme for other states in the zone to benefit as well.
Alhaji Nasiru Aliyu, Gombe state Commissioner of Trade and Industry, assured of the Gombe State Government’s commitment to providing 25 warehouses in the state.
Some of the farmers who spoke to our Correspondent commended the organizers for the knowledge imparted to them.
According to Malama Mariya Aliyu, a farmer, the training has equipped them on how to store their produce in ways they never knew.
She promised to step down the training to those who were not privileged to participate in the training.
