Members of the Ebira Produce Buyers Association in Kogi state comprising Asuku, Ege, Oyiza and Avabe Multipurpose Corporative Societies have presented an award of excellence to the APPEALS project state coordinator, Dr Sanni Abdullahi Ozomata for his immense contributions towards the welfare of farmers in the state.
The spokesperson for the groups, Sanni Nurudeen Omeiza, said they have come to show appreciation to the state project coordinator and the APPEALS project for facilitating the necessary support that has improved the well-being of farmers in the state. He noted that initially when the APPEALS project came into existence they expressed doubts as to the genuine nature of the project judging from their past bitter experiences with similar projects that ended up not yielding the desired fruits but noted that with the coming of the APPEALS project in the state the story is different as they are happy to be beneficiaries of the project.
Responding, the APPEALS state project coordinator, Dr Sanni Abdullahi Ozomata, appreciated the groups for finding him worthy of the award and noted that the project will continue to facilitate the right support for the right groups of farmers to ensure the advancement of the state’s agricultural sector. He advised the groups to put to use the different training and support facilitated by the project and add value to their cashew marketing activities to enable them to be in business all year round.
Other staff presented with awards were Mr Alex Atama, Commercialization & Business Development Officer, Mr Samule Enejo the cash facilitator and Otaru Abdullkabir the training officer.
You would recall that the Asuku, Ege, Oyiza and Avabe Multipurpose Corporative Societies were among the marketing groups supported by the APPPEALS project with haulage facilities to enhance their marketing activities.
Similarly, the cashew farmers supported by the project on a study tour in Cote d’Ivoire recently paid an appreciation visit to the state project coordinator, Dr Sanni Abdullahi Ozomata . The visit was to thank the Coordinator for creating the opportunity for farmers and other actors in the value chain to gain more knowledge on cashew production internationally, stating that this is the first of its kind in the state.
Speaking on behalf of the team, the Cluster chairman for Ochaja Cashew said they were happy with the numerous supports the APPEALS project has facilitated for farmers in the state and assured that the knowledge gained from the international study tour will be stepped down for other farmers in the clusters for the benefit of all.
In his remarks, the APPEALS state project coordinator, Dr Sanni Abdullahi Ozomata appreciated the farmers for being good ambassadors of the state during the tour. He observed that supporting farmers with inputs and equipment is not enough, but providing the right information when it is needed will help improve the productivity of farmers. He said the training and exposure received by farmers should be put into practice to enable them to diversify into other areas of cashew production.
