The Enugu State Agricultural Development Programme (ENADEP) says it recorded huge success in training and empowering farmers in 2022 in the state.

The project manager of ENADEP, Ogbonna Onyeisi, disclosed this in an interview in Enugu on Saturday.

Mr Onyeisi said that so far, about 100 women were trained in food processing, and 30 farmers were empowered with 80-day-old chicks each, including poultry feeds and vaccines.

According to the project manager, 50 extension workers were trained by the federal government on tools and methodologies for selected agricultural value chains in the state.

He explained that the participants in the training were advised to share the information and knowledge they acquired with other farmers in their various communities.

“Soil science training on the smart agro system was also one of the trainings carried out during the year under review, which involved promoting an agricultural system that enhances soil fertility, reduces production costs and increases yields,” he noted.

According to him, the enhancement of soil fertility involves using organic fertilisers by farmers.

“They were also taught good agricultural practices, especially the need to test the soil before planting or applying fertilisers,” he said. 

He said the training was organised to address the drift in the agricultural system.

He added that rice processing equipment such as tillers for separation, rice thrashers and rice destoner machines were also distributed to farmers in rice-producing local government areas.

“The local government areas include Isi-Uzo, Nkanu East, and Aninri, among others, which were assisted by the Federal Government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development-Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD-V),” he said.

(NAN)