Farmers in Anambra State are increasingly turning cassava, rice and other agricultural produce into value-added products, creating opportunities for higher income and job creation under the Federal Government/International Fund for Agricultural Development Value Chain Development Programme (FGN/IFAD-VCDP).
The Anambra Programme Coordinator, Dr Deborah Onyefulu, made this known on Wednesday, September 23, at a two-day Interactive Commodity Promotion Show and Agricultural Fair in Awka. She said the event was designed to give farmers greater visibility, create market opportunities and showcase the impact of training provided under the programme.
The initiative focuses on strengthening rice and cassava value chains by equipping farmers with processing, packaging and marketing skills. Farmers showcased products including cassava moi-moi, chin-chin, cake and chocolate, with entries assessed on economic value, processing, sustainability, nutrition, packaging and value addition.
Director of Agro Market Square, John Okafor, said the quality of products from Anambra farmers had improved significantly in recent years, but urged government to provide more training, funding and agricultural inputs. A participating farmer, Nnaemeka Agundu, said the training had improved his knowledge of processing, packaging and marketing and helped expand his agro-business.
The fair featured farmers from nine participating Local Government Areas, with Orumba South emerging first in the assessment, followed by Ihiala and Aguata. Organisers said the programme would continue to support farmers in transforming agricultural produce into commercially viable products.
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