NDDC Empowers Niger Delta Rice Farmers With Capacity Building Programme

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has completed the second batch of its commercial-scale Capacity Building Programme for Rice Farmers, reaffirming its commitment to agricultural empowerment in the Niger Delta.

According to a press release issued by Seledi Thompson-Wakama, Director, Corporate Affairs, NDDC, the training program, which took place in Umuahia, Abia State, was designed to provide farmers with modern techniques, processing skills, and agribusiness strategies in order to transform agriculture into a sustainable economic driver.

Speaking at the closing ceremony at the Kolping Guest House, NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, represented by Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr. Winifred Madume, urged participants to use their newly acquired knowledge to improve rice production, establish cooperatives, and form partnerships with relevant agencies and banks.

“It is critical that the participants take advantage of this improved knowledge and skills to contribute to the Federal Government’s initiative to increase rice production and processing,” Dr. Ogbuku said.

The NDDC also highlighted its ongoing partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to provide apprenticeship training for Niger Delta residents, emphasising its commitment to effective agricultural empowerment initiatives.

According to Mr Wale Oretan, Deputy Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, 300 farmers from Abia and other Niger Delta states attended the training.

The programme addressed both theoretical and practical aspects of rice production, processing, and entrepreneurship. He encouraged beneficiaries to put their knowledge to good use and reinvest the empowerment support packages they received in their farming enterprises.

Participants received a starter pack valued at ₦200,000.00 and a certificate of completion. Mrs. Uzoma Charity Ochulo, President of the Abia State Rice Farmers Association, expressed gratitude on behalf of the beneficiaries and promised to replicate the training in their own communities.

Professor Lovina Odoemelam, training coordinator at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture in Umudike, praised the NDDC’s efforts and urged the Commission to conduct follow-up programmes to ensure the initiative’s long-term viability.

She emphasised the importance of beneficiaries managing resources wisely in order to achieve economic self-sufficiency.

The NDDC’s initiative aims to improve food security, create jobs, and alleviate poverty in the Niger Delta region by providing farmers with the skills and resources they need to succeed in the agricultural sector.