By Magnus Aluma
The British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATN) has empowered not less than 400 farmers in Ebonyi State, to promote climate-smart agricultural practices in the state. The Project Manager of the Foundation, Adetola Oniyegun, stated this at a capacity-building workshop on rice production, organised in Ugwulangwu, in the Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, for selected farmers in the state.
Oniyegun noted that BATN selected 100 farmers from each of the four benefiting Local Government Areas of Abakaliki, Ebonyi, Izzi and Ohaozara and trained them on water management safety, use of agro-chemicals and fertilizer application for improved food, sufficiency to enhance their economic growth.
According to him, “this free capacity building project held in the four locations in the state, was in collaboration with the Ebonyi State Government as part of the efforts by our Foundation to improve farmers’ yield and introduce climate-smart agricultural practices in the rural communities.”
The BATN Project Manager commended Ecofield Agrolinks for the successful implementation of the project in Ebonyi State, adding that it has provided favourable environment for agriculture to thrive in the State
In a remark, the Chief Executive Officer of Ecofield Agrolinks Enterprises, Mrs Bridget Obi, said that implementing the project ensured that only the genuine farmers were selected as beneficiaries of the lofty BATN initiative.
She explained that the BATN Foundation is a charitable organisation established in November 2002 to empower rural Nigerians for sustainability, adding that over 300 community projects have been implemented nationwide, to improve the lives of people those in rural the communities.
Mrs Obi, who was a Commissioner for Women Affairs in Anambra state, Southeast Nigeria, advised the benefiting farmers to see agriculture as a big-time commercial venture that needed adequate attention and urged them to maximize the opportunity offered by the Foundation for optimal benefits.
According to her, “It is a two-year programme. This year because we didn’t come on time, we are doing demonstration farms to go into the practical, let them know how to improve the farmers’ yields and introduce climate-smarts agriculture practices to the farmers in the rural communities of Ebonyi State.”
She further said, “Early next year, about March, we will be here, we are coming to empower the 400 people with imputs.”
A representative of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, Darlington Onele taught the farmers some agro-chemical methods such as land preparation, good agronomic practices, water management, safe use of agro-chemicals, and fertilizer application, among others.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Princess Nkechinyere, Iyoku, who was represented by Mr Chukwuka Ede, advised the farmers to establish corporative societies, for them to benefit more from the interventions by government and non-governmental organizations in the state.
The traditional Ruler of Mgbom Ugwulangwu Community, Eze Frank Agueze said the training has exposed the farmers to modern agricultural practices and assured that they would make best use of the knowledge acquired, to improve their farm yields while practising climate-smart agriculture in the area.
A farmer and coordinator of the project in Ebonyi State, Hon. Ozoemena Njoku urged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously and commended the state governor, for prioritising agriculture.
