The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) on Monday trained no fewer than 240 farmers on climate-resilient practices in maize, rice and tomato production in Edo.

The training was done in collaboration with the Edo State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Benin.

Declaring the training open, the Edo Director of FMARD, Wellington Omoragbon, said it was to teach farmers smart agricultural practices to mitigate against the effect of climate change on crop production.

Mr Omoragbon, represented by Sunny Omoike, a director in the ministry, stated that the increase in temperature, change in rainfall pattern, drought, floods, and acidity had adversely affected crop production in the state.

He noted that efficient initiatives in water management, smart tillage, good soil practices, crop mixtures, weather forecasting tools, high-quality planting materials, and varieties were smart agricultural practices that could enhance productivity.

According to him, about 4,000 farmers of different agricultural value chains are to be impacted by this training.

In his remarks, Sunday Erhunmwonsere, the permanent secretary of Edo State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, said the training would boost farmers’ productivity in the three crop value chains.

Mr Erhunmwonsere said the ministry was introducing varieties of seeds that could withstand climate change, adding that the training was about emerging trends in rice, maize and tomato production.

He disclosed that at the end of the training, the farmers would be provided with bags of fertiliser, seeds and agrochemicals.

Earlier in his welcome address, Edward Iziebegie, the programme manager, Edo State Agricultural Development Programme( ADP), commended the federal ministry of Agriculture for the training.

(NAN)