How Nigeria can tackle food shortages –RIFAN president

The President of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Engr Aminu Goronyo, has said Nigerian farmers can avert food shortages by improving their yields through innovative weed management and control. He disclosed this in Abuja during a one-day workshop organised by RIFAN and Syngenta Nigeria Limited to train rice farmers on new techniques to […]

The President of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Engr Aminu Goronyo, has said Nigerian farmers can avert food shortages by improving their yields through innovative weed management and control.

He disclosed this in Abuja during a one-day workshop organised by RIFAN and Syngenta Nigeria Limited to train rice farmers on new techniques to improve yield in their fields.

The event, with the theme ‘Syngenta-RIFAN Rice Weed Management Initiative Workshop’, was organised as one of the avenues of addressing the surging food crisis threatening the country.

The workshop, which was held at the weekend, drew participants including RIFAN state executives and rice farmers drawn from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.

In his remarks, Engr Goronyo said the workshop was timely looking at the gloomy atmosphere hovering over the food ecosystem in the country.

He said Nigeria was not immune from the global food crisis “caused by deepening insecurity, Russian -Ukraine conflict, widespread food export bans by countries, as well as mortal threats facing the smallholder farmers in Nigeria.”

He said the workshop was designed at the beginning of the wet season to equip farmers with new skills and techniques for managing weeds and increasing yields in their fields.

The Country Representative of Syngenta Nigeria Limited, Mr Abiola Olarewanju, said the workshop was Syngenta’s innovative partnership in deepening the knowledge base of farmers in addressing weeds which have been one of their greatest threats.

On his part, the Technical Lead for Syngenta in Nigeria in Ghana, Mr Emmanuel Akor, said the objective of the workshop was to boost farmers’ capacity to improve the yield of their rice farms.

One of the participants, Alhaji Shehu Mu’azu, said the workshop was timely and value-loaded.