The Standards Organisation of Nigeria has expressed satisfaction with the rice processing centres established under the International Fund for Agricultural Development-Value Chain Development Programme  in Enugu.

The organisation made the commendation during inspections of rice farms in Mbulu Owo in Nkanu East and Uhueze Nenwe in Aninri council areas of Enugu with IFAD-VCDP officials.

Speaking during the visit, Peter Ameh, the coordinator of SON in Enugu, said the organisation inspected the processing centres to see what was on the ground, as SON was responsible for the standardisation and quality assurance of products in Nigeria.

Mr Ameh described the facilities and efforts of the women farmers as “impressive and commendable”. He said SON would conduct sensitisation and capacity-building sessions for the cooperative members to enable them understand the Nigerian Industrial Standards for rice production and processing.

According to him, the ultimate goal is to certify the products under the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme to assure consumers of quality.

Mr Ameh advised the cooperative members to strictly adhere to standard procedures and documentation requirements, including required registrations, to facilitate certification.

Edward Isiwu, the programme coordinator of IFAD-VCDP in Enugu, said the move was aimed at ensuring that rice processed in the state met national standards.

Mr Isiwu said the programme, with massive support from Governor Peter Mbah, had worked over the past four years to reposition farming in the state from subsistence to agribusiness. He explained that IFAD-VCDP had constructed a modern aggregation centre and a state-of-the-art rice processing mill for women’s cooperative groups to reduce post-harvest losses.

According to him, the facilities were funded through a matching grant arrangement, with IFAD and the state government providing 70 per cent of the equipment cost.

He explained that the cooperatives contributed 30 per cent, while buildings and other infrastructure were provided to them free of charge.

The programme director noted that the state government was determined to ensure that rice grown in Enugu was also processed and branded. He added that inviting SON to inspect the facilities was to ensure compliance with required standards and pave the way for certification of “Enugu-grown rice.”

(NAN)