By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.
NATIONAL body of Cassava Cottage Processing and Marketing Association of Nigeria (COCOPMAN) has inaugurated Kogi State chapter of the association with a charge on them to brace up for value addition and exportation of their products.
National President of the Association, Rev. Segun Ilori, gave the charge while inaugurating the state chapter in Lokoja said processing Cassava without value addition reduces its desirability.
He said that with the inauguration of the chapter, the national body would now embark on capacity building for members in the areas of processing, branding, marketing for general expansion.
Rev. Ilori said that members would now be able to benefit directly from Federal Government interventions in the distribution of equipment and tools adding that they would also be linked with the Nigeria Export Promotion Council for exportation of their products.
He said that COCOPMAN which now has over 200 members was launched in 2018 by former President Goodluck Jonathan with only five members for cottage programmes to cover three crops value chains including Cassava, Rive and Palm oil.
Also speaker at the occasion, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Timothy Ojoma said that the inauguration of COCOPMAN was timely.
The Commissioner said that they are Association would help improve benefits derivable from Cassava value chain adding, “Kogi is adjudged to be the largest cassava producer in the whole nation but we have not been enjoying the benefits of the value chain.
“I feel that by the reason of this inauguration, we are going to see that the whole value chain is activated to ensure that our people have value for their produce.
Ojoma said government had mapped out for immediate intervention, 1,200 hectares of land for cassava production this year and it is doing more than 80 per cent of the whole work, bringing in tractors, improved stems, fertilizers and chemicals to assist the Farmers.
“We are equally providing extension services. We are engaging in the immediate, over 1,000 extension workers to ensure that our farmers have up to date information on the three commodities we are intervening – Rice, Cassava and Maize.
“And of course, it will trickle down to rural communities. The services are going down to rural Communities, they are not limited to the Urban areas. We have mapped out about 48 areas across the three Senatorial Districts of Kogi state.
“Part of what we are going to do is to ensure that the extension service is translated into our local languages for our farmers to understand what best agricultural practices we are supposed to practice with up to date information on climate change”, he said.
In his post-inaugural speech, the new Chairman, Mr Ufana Hussein commended the the national body of the Association and the state government for their efforts in ensuring the success of the inauguration.
He said that from cassava processing, the nation could derive some industrial inputs such as starch, for both edible and non-edible grades just as cooking gas, organic fertilizer, animal feeds could also be derived.
He said that the state could boast of high quality cassava products including HQCF and other derivatives adding that processing would reduce post-harvest losses and was capable of contributing significantly to the GDP of Nigeria.
He pledged on behalf of other executive members of the association never to let down the state of the national body. (Ends)