Benue To Establish Grain Reserve System, Trains Farmers In Ginger Production

Benue State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has disclosed plans to establish a State Grain Reserve System with storage facilities in the 23 Local Government Areas to enhance food security, reduce post-harvest losses, and stabilise the prices of agricultural commodities.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Benjamin Ashaver, stated this on Tuesday during the second-quarter 2022 agricultural sector technical coordination meeting held in Makurdi.

The Commissioner said the Ministries would train farmers in ginger production, while protecting the state’s indigenous ginger varieties through appropriate policies and monitoring mechanisms.

He further revealed that the ongoing cultivation of Lapia Grass across the state was  gaining momentum and would significantly boost livestock production.

The Commissioner affirmed the Ministry’s commitment to driving inclusive agricultural development, strengthening food security, and promoting agribusiness investment through strategic collaboration with stakeholders and development partners across the state. The Ministry, under the leadership of Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia, is determined to put past challenges behind and ensure the equitable distribution of agricultural inputs, donated to all council wards, “so that every farming community benefits from government interventions”

Ashaver further stated that the Ministry was collaborating with the Social Health Farmers Scheme of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security on comprehensive farmer data collection, verification, and soil mapping to build a reliable agricultural database for the state.