Fabricators of small and medium agricultural equipment in sorghum value chains trained

Participants being trained in using and testing a fabricated hand pushed planter. Photos: Aliyu Adinoyi, ICRISAT

As part of ICRISAT’s effort to enhance the capacity of various actors along the sorghum value chain and enhance the capacity of small- and medium-scale agricultural equipment fabricators in Nigeria, a 5-day training workshop was organized recently by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in collaboration with the National Center for Agricultural Mechanization (NCAM).

As part of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Program Phase One (ATASP-1), 34 beneficiaries were selected from agro-machinery fabricators across 6 selected states: Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto, Niger and Yobe.

Participants were trained in workshop safety, maintenance/repairs of agro-processing machines, identification and fabrication of critical parts of planting operation machine (planters), identification and fabrication of critical parts of post-harvest processing equipment (milling/winnowing machines) and safe storage of agricultural produce.

Glad to be part of the training, Okereke Chukwumarije, a fabricator from Agaie LGA Niger State said, “This training has opened our eyes to the intricacies and techniques of selecting materials for fabrication of critical components of processing machines and planters”. Dr M Y Kasali, Executive Director, NCAM, stressed on the need for partnerships to create linkages across agricultural value chains to ensure development goals.

This work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goal