Dangote Cement Plc has trained and distributed farm inputs to 60 farmers in the Okpella community, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State.

The company’s head of procurement, Sunday Oyelude, disclosed this on Wednesday at the closing of a three-day training/empowerment programme for farmers in the community.

Speaking during the distribution of the inputs to the beneficiaries, Mr Oyelude said the empowerment of farmers was part of the company’s community development agreement requirements plan targetting host communities.

“This initiative fell under the agreement designed to support farmers in the areas.

“This is the annual farmers’ empowerment programme where indigenous people are trained on the use of farm inputs and are empowered with such.

“About 60 farmers were trained by a consultant agronomist for a period of two days, and the inputs were presented to them,” Mr Oyelude said.

Also, the company’s Social Performance Manager, Daniel Obamina, said the empowerment was to uplift the lives of farmers in the community as well as foster sustainable agricultural best practices.

Mr Obamina said that 60 farmers were selected across the various villages within the Okpella community.

He added that the beneficiaries were trained in agrochemical handling and usage, fertiliser application, and agronomic principles, including practices of crop management and losses, amongst others.

Mr Obamina said that the company was doing lots of intervention, ranging from women’s empowerment, road construction and awarding scholarships to indigents in secondary schools and tertiary institutions.

He listed the distributed items to include 30 cartons of sunphosphate, 30 cartons of Jungly-phosphate, 30 cartons of relisate and 30 cartons of foliar plus.

Others were eight cartons of Imiforce, 12 cartons of Diutop, 60 bags of OPV hybrid maize and 60 pressurised knapsack sprayers.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Okpella Community Development Association, Peter Afiabor, encouraged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the inputs to enhance agricultural activities in the area.

Mr Afiabor commended the company’s cordial relationship with the community and thanked Dangote for the empowerment.

“You have been trained and given farm inputs; make good use of them to enhance the economy of Okpella,” he said.

One of the beneficiaries, Kola Ilabeshi, who spoke on behalf of others, expressed gratitude to the company for the intervention.

He stated, “We want to say ‘thank you’ to the management of Dangote PLC for empowering us. The training and inputs given to us will improve our farming skills and boost food production in the community.”

(NAN)