NIHORT trains 400 farmers, says horticultural crops can grow Nigeria’s GDP

The National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT) has projected that a committed national policy on mass production of plantain and pineapple is capable of contributing 10 percent significant growth to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the next five years. Speaking at a two-day empowerment and training programme for 400 farmers on horticultural (plantain and pineapple) […]

The National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT) has projected that a committed national policy on mass production of plantain and pineapple is capable of contributing 10 percent significant growth to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the next five years.

Speaking at a two-day empowerment and training programme for 400 farmers on horticultural (plantain and pineapple) value chain, the Director of Training, NIHORT, Dr. Lawrence Olajide Taiwo, said that agriculture currently contributes 24% to the nation’s GDP, without the input of horticultural crops.

The training session which was opened on Monday in Kwale, Ndokwa West Local Government Area of Delta State, drew trainees from the three Local Government Areas of Ndokwa/Ukwuani federal constituency.

He said that the training programme would be extended to the Ika North East and Ika South LGAs because the people of the areas were predominantly farmers and would be exposed to various sources of making money from plantain and pineapple.

 Olajide, who is also the programme coordinator, said the training would expose participants on what it takes to cultivate plantain and pineapple through processing and maintenance and marketing to make money.

“Here in Delta, we are going to train 400 farmers on horticultural value chain. In the next five years, if we continue the way we are going, horticulture will add about 10 per cent to whatever agriculture adds to the country’s GDP,” said.

On his part, Dr Dr. Abayomi Akeem Olaniyan, Ag Executive Director, NIHORT, said that plantain and pineapple were important horticultural commodities, adding that horticulture remained source of household income, employment generation, enhanced GDP and government revenue.

Declaring the training programme open, the initiator of the project, Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai, a member representing Ndokwa/Ukwuani federal constituency, said the training would expose the participants on new area of making money particularly by converting the waste products of plantain for making of soap and pomade.

“We have engaged the experts from the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT) to train the farmers in various ways of growing plantain suckers, pineapple suckers and utilising these crops for different purposes,” he said.