In an effort to increase yields despite the Russia, Ukraine war, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has trained no fewer than 50 Cassava farmers in Gombe State on how to increase their yields and address the challenges of food shortage.

The Gombe training which was held concurrently with others in the three geopolitical zones in northern Nigeria, was held with the support of the Gombe State Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry.

The one-day training was on climate resilient practices in cassava production for farmers and Agric extension Agents for fifty farmers in Gombe state.

Nigeria imports a lot of grain crops such as wheat and others from Ukraine and Russia, but the current war between the two countries has posed great import challenges which makes it necessary for the country to improve on the production of cassava and other crops it has comparative advantage.

Speaking during the training, Mr. Gideon Bala Yila, the Gombe State Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), the ministry deemed it fit to conduct training to equip farmers with modern technology in farming to increase agricultural production to secure the Nation from hunger amidst the ongoing Russia and Ukraine war as well as activities of insurgent and bandit.

Declaring the training open, the permanent secretary for the Gombe State Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Dr Ibrahim Yakubu, at the Fadama Three conference hall in Gombe, said, the importance of the training is unquantifiable considering the enormous benefits of agriculture and its value chain to the economic growth of a Nation.

He appreciated the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for constantly keeping farmers in tune with current techniques in farming.

On his part, the overseeing programme manager of the Gombe State Agricultural Development Programme (GSADP) Mr. Munkaila A Musa, admonished the participants to trickle down the knowledge they acquired at the end of the training to other farmers in their respective localities so as to achieve the aim of the training.

A resource person at the training and Acting Director, of Rural Institutional Development (RID), Rifkatu Yaro, lectured the participants on the type of soil to be used in planting cassava as well as the temperature and the amount of rainfall required.

She also spoke on other requirements needed for it to be nurtured to maturity stage as well as when to plant and harvest, and its economic and nutritional value among others.

Some of the participants, Isa Audu and Rita Dauda from Gombe and Shomgom Local Government Areas who spoke to our correspondent, said they are better enlightened and equipped with new ideas on cassava farming promising to put all they have learned into practice.

INDEPENDENT