The Federal Ministry of Science and Technology Innovation (FMSTI) in collaboration with the Delta State Ministry of Science and Technology through the Department of Bioresources Technology organized a four days capacity development program on post-harvest losses reduction in agricultural products.
The event aimed to equip farmers and allied practitioners with the requisite knowledge and abilities in handling agricultural products to reduce post-harvest losses, commenced on Tuesday, May 16th, and is scheduled to end on Friday, May 19th, 2023, in the Ministry of Science and Technology conference room, Cluster B, first floor at Prof. Chike Edozien’s secretariat, Mariam Babangida Way, Asaba.
Speaking at the event is the Delta State Honourable Commissioner of Science and Technology, Olorogun Mrs. Jennifer Oma Adesan Efeviroro, who said the workshop with the theme “The Use Of Technology In Post-Harvest Losses Reduction In Agricultural Products” could not have come at a better time as the whole world is facing a different crisis ranging from post covid-19 effect, recession, inflation, food shortages, internal conflicts, international war (such as the Russian and Ukraine).
Hon. Efeviroro thanked the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation for their vision, resourcefulness, and tenacity of purpose in extending the collaboration exercise to Delta State, maintaining that the program is second to its kind.
According to her, the first was organized from the 24th to the 28th of June in 2019, with the theme “Technology and Innovative Bioresources Interventions To Improve Income And Livelihood” in which one hundred youths and women are trained in fish farming, snail rearing, and grass cutter breeding with starter packs issued to all the participants at the end of the workshop.
She said as the present administration winds to a halt, they are looking retrospectively over the past almost eight years, through which her ministry, the job creation office, other agencies of government, the state government led by the visionary governor, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, has impacted meaningfully in the economy of the state in entrepreneurial development index, creating jobs and improving the economic well-being of its citizens through the Information and Communication Technology Youth Empowerment Programme (ICT-YEP), Skill Training and Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP), Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurship Programme (YAGEP), and others.
Mrs. Efeviroro thanked His Excellency, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, the executive governor of Delta State who has demonstrated an uncommon passion for wealth creation and human capital development as a requisite for good governance. His gracious and unalloyed support has given a good foundation for building businesses across the state.
She also encouraged the trainees to take the exercise so seriously as they stand to gain immensely from it, adding that the knowledge gained will be very useful to them as a farmer or allied practitioners.
“It will be a credit seeing you practice what you have learned in these few days to the benefit of our dear state,” the commissioner said.
