The UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) will spend 4.5 million dollars to support agro-processing development three states, a UNIDO official has said. Mr Bassel Khatib, the UNIDO Deputy Representative in charge of West Africa, announced this in Kaduna while declaring open a one-day workshop.

The workshop was organised by the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA). He said the states included Kaduna, Oyo and Ogun States, adding that the programme would commence in December.

Khatib said the benefitting states had succeeded in diversifying their agricultural base and therefore needed support to boost production for local consumption and for export.. He said the programme would be centred on cereals, adding that each of the benefitting states would receive about 1.5 million dollars.

“Nigeria is considered an agricultural state because it has the potential of becoming one of the leading countries in agriculture. However, from the assessment of the three states, we discovered that the problems faced by farmers are power supply, water supply, road network and other means of transportation.  UNIDO is interested in micro, small, and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) and the programme will go a long way in assisting farmers and getting suitable markets for their produce,“ Khatib said.

In his remarks at the occasion, Prof Hussein Dib, UNIDO Consultant on food safety, said research conducted recently, rated Kaduna State as first in the cultivation of grains. According to him, 16 per cent of the total maize production in the country comes from the state.

“MSMEs provide the majority of food consumed in the country, so there is a need to empower them and upgrade their produce,“ Dib said. He said that limited competitiveness in quality and inadequate of infrastructure were some of the challenges facing MSMEs in the production and processing of cereal, especially in the three benefitting states.

He said that as part of the programme, farmers would be trained to acquire modern knowledge and skills to enhance their productivity, including modern harvesting, storage and marketing techniques.

Earlier, KADCCIMA’s Director-General, Usman Saulawa, called for attitudinal change on the part of Nigerian consumers. He decried their preference for foreign products. He said KADCCIMA has been promoting the growth of MSME’s through trade fairs, skills acquisition and financial support to enhance private sector participation in product marketing.