NSPRI Distributes 105 Storage Devices To Farmers In Edo

The Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI) distributed about 105 post-harvest storage facilities to seven women and youth farmers’ groups in Edo State yesterday.

The facilities distributed included 25 ice fish boxes and 80 hermetic drums. The beneficiaries were Evbuokhea women farmers group, Iddo Maize Women Farmers’ Association, Imose Fadama 111 Cooperative Society and Uvbe Maize Farmers’ Group.

Others are Hope Women MPCS, Catholic Women Organisation (MPCS) and Omega Fish Farmers Cooperative society. The Executive Director of NSPRI, Dr Patricia Pessu, said the distribution was part of the Federal Government’s efforts at ensuring food security in the country.

Represented by Dr Samuel Agoda, an agricultural extension specialist, Pessu said the effort was also to discourage the use of chemical to store farm produce and reduce post-harvest losses of produce.

“We are here to distribute these modern technologies that we have developed for farmers to store farm produce after harvest.

“Some of these technologies include grain technologies, which include improved inert atmosphere silos, hermetic drums, fruit and vegetable technology and livestock and fishery technologies, such as fish box.”

“We are here today to distribute the fish boxes and the hermetic drums. Others processing facilities, like the smoking kilns, would be distributed at a later date,” she said.

According to the Executive Director, NSPRI is committed to reducing post-harvest losses. The Permanent Secretary, Edo State Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Peter Aikhuomobhogbe, commended the agency for the initiative.

Aikhuomobhogbe said that post-harvest losses had been a major problem in the agricultural sector. “These sample storage technologies as developed by NSPRI would go a long way in solving the problem.

“I want to appeal to you all not to sell this drums and boxes. We are going to monitor and blacklist any farmer found selling these inputs.”

A farmer and one of the beneficiaries, Mr Victoria Obaje, thanked the agency for the kind gesture.