OVER 300 women, youths and extension officers in Lagos State have been trained and empowered on the popularisation, production and processing of the orange-fleshed sweet potato.

The training organised by the Lagos State Agricultural Development Authority (LSADA) and the State Committee on Food and Nutrition (SCFN) was held at the LSADA training hall in Oko-Oba Agege.

Commissioner for Agriculture and food systems, Abisola Olusanya, while speaking at the programme said that food security is a major policy thrust of this administration given its relevance in promoting the health and well-being of citizens in the attainment of the state government’s THEMES Agenda, especially the fourth pillar of making Lagos a 21st-century economy.

Olusanya who was represented by Omodunbi Oluwatoyin, an official from the Ministry said that available statistics indicated that women and youths make up over 60 percent of the state’s population which makes it imperative for government to create opportunities to channel their talents and energies into productive activities at which agriculture is a low hanging fruit.

She also said that the administration of Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has prioritised the training, and activation of agribusiness for agro-processors, youth and women farmers, creating jobs and facilitating improved livelihood for beneficiaries.

Olusanya thereby encouraged the participants to listen and pay rapt attention to deliberations at the training programme which she said she believes is an eye opener to the immense opportunities in the production and processing of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes as well as its nutritional and economic benefits.

Justina Balogun, Head of Women in Agriculture and Nutrition, while speaking with journalists during the programme said that the training was organised to popularise the use of the crop into the Lagos state environment.

She said that the crop is very nutritional and that a lot of people don’t know about it.

“We want to popularise its production and processing. It can be processed into various varieties such as; flour, garri, chin-chin, cake, among several others and it has a lot of nutritional benefits.

Balogun, a Deputy Director who is also the Desk Officer for Food and Nutrition in the Ministry noted that the participants will learn the production so that they can plant it, stressing that the planting is easy and can be done behind ones’ house using sacks.

“It does not really need much agronomy practices, no need for fertilizer and at the end of the day you will get a lot of vines.

She also said that the participants will be given vines to plant and will be taught how to process and add value to the crop.

Acting Programme Manager, LSADA, Alade Adewale, while speaking said that one of the units at the Agency is empowering women with activities around orange-fleshed potatoes.

“We are trying to tell the women that they can do a lot with the orange-fleshed potato, starting from the production, to processing and to marketing. We want the farmers to know the various benefits that can be derived from cultivating and processing the crop to make ends meet.

He called on the participants to take advantage of the crop, that apart from the local production they can export the derivatives from it.

Dr. Sakidu Bukola, Head of Crop Development sub-component of LSADA who took that participants on the agronomy of the orange flesh potato, noted that the crop is a new variety that is early maturing, loaded with nutrients, and high yielding that can be utilised in so many ways.

Copyright © 2022 Nigerian Tribune Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).