The Kogi Government says it is strengthening the state’s agricultural value chain through the construction of modern agro-markets and development of rural access roads linking farming communities to markets.
The State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Lokoja.
The commissioner said the initiative was aimed at improving farmers’ access to buyers and facilitating the movement and marketing of agricultural produce.
Fanwo said the development of modern rural markets was a key component of the administration’s agricultural strategy, stressing that increased production must be matched with efficient access to markets for farmers to derive greater value from their efforts.
“Gov. Ahmed Ododo is committed to making Kogi a leading agricultural production hub and strengthening the state’s position as a major food basket of the nation.
“To achieve this, we must support our farmers from the point of production to the point of sale.
“This is why the state government is investing in rural access roads and modern agro-markets that will connect farming communities to buyers, improve the movement of farm produce and create a more efficient agricultural value chain,” he said.
The commissioner said the state government, in collaboration with the World Bank, is constructing modern markets across the state under the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP).
He cited the ongoing construction of the market at Ayegunle Bunu in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area as one of the projects under the initiative.
“We are happy with the pace of work there, and the line Ministries are also doing a wonderful job of providing oversight to ensure that the project delivers the intended benefits to our rural communities,” Fanwo said.
He explained that the modern agro-markets were designed to provide conducive meeting points for farmers, traders and buyers, thereby facilitating the aggregation, display and sale of farm produce.
Fanwo added that the construction of rural access roads to farming communities was equally critical to the success of the initiative, as good roads would facilitate the movement of produce from farms to the newly developed market hubs.
According to him, the combined investment in rural roads and modern markets reflects the administration’s integrated approach to agricultural development by supporting farmers from production to marketing.
The commissioner also commended the Executive Chairman of Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area for providing an enabling and secure environment for the smooth execution of the Ayegunle Bunu project.
“Let me also commend the Executive Chairman of Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area for providing an enabling and secure environment for the contractor to do a beautiful job.
“What we have in Kogi is a government for the rural people,” he said.
Fanwo said the projects would contribute to strengthening rural economies by improving market access, encouraging agricultural production and creating better opportunities for farmers, traders and other participants in the agricultural value chain across the state.
