School Feeding: Agric ministry canvasses caterers, farmers synergy
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanization, Processing and Export, Anambra state, Mr Leo Imoka, has called on caterers in Home Grown Feeding Programme, to liaise with farmers to achieve the required result. Imoka made the call at Otuocha in Anambra East local government area, during a meeting between the farmers and caterers in the Home […]
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanization, Processing and Export, Anambra state, Mr Leo Imoka, has called on caterers in Home Grown Feeding Programme, to liaise with farmers to achieve the required result.
Imoka made the call at Otuocha in Anambra East local government area, during a meeting between the farmers and caterers in the Home Grown Feeding Programme.
Imoka, represented by Mrs Obiageli Okeke, said the ministry initiated the partnership to ensure best practices in the Home Grown School Feeding Programme as it will enable caterers to buy healthy food stuffs directly from farmers.
The Programme Manager of the Home Grown Feeding Initiative, Mrs Ngozi Ekwedike, explained that it is a social investment programme of the federal government aimed at enhancing food sufficiency by local farmers and use of the farmer’s produce in feeding the school children.
She disclosed that an estimated 21 cooperative societies consisting of farmers and caterers would soon be formed to enable the government take proper care of their problems and challenges.
Also speaking, Director of Extension Services of the State Agricultural Development Programme, Mrs Ifenyinwa Uzoka, said the essence of the meeting was to link farmers to caterers, to ensure that farmers produce are used fresh from the farm to feed the pupils.