The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, on Wednesday trained no fewer than 45 fruits and vegetables farmers from Gombe State.
Dr Muhammad Abubakar, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, at a one-day training of the beneficiaries in Gombe, said the exercise was to ensure food availability, and enrich the farmers.
Abubakar, represented by the Regional Director of the ministry in the North East, Alhaji Umaru Mohammed-Yusuf, said the training, which was on integrated crop pollination services, was also to distribute beekeeping equipment to farmers.
Abubakar said the Federal Government was committed to supporting all value chains in the agricultural sector in order to ensure food security, job creation and increased income for farmers.
“The major aim of the training is to expose you to the use of bees as agents of pollination services, to increase your production and bring money for you.”
According to him, this is the secret of farmers in developed countries.
He advised farmers to leverage on integrated pollination services to boost their income and productivity.
“We want our farmers in the country to also get good value for engaging in the venture, hence this training.
“Bee pollination activities on fruits and vegetables could mean the difference between low and higher yields for farmers,” he said.
Abubakar explained that the capacity building would guide the farmers on how best to manage and overcome low crop yield.
“Capacity development is a key component activity towards achieving the goal of food and nutrition security, as well as import substitution.”
He advised the beneficiaries to embrace pollination services on their farms, to enhance productivity and food security.
Mr Yahaya Musa, Gombe State Chairman of the Federation of Bee Keepers Association of Nigeria, (FEBKAN), on behalf of the trainees, commended the Federal Government.
Musa said the training was an “eye opener” for them in view of the modern and technical knowledge they had acquired.
He pledged his members commitment to ensuring proper use of the technical information gathered at the training, adding that the impact of the training would improve their income and productivity.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that complete sets of Beekeeping equipment were distributed to the participants.