By Cajetan Mmuta, Awka
The federal government’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme–Phase One (ATASP-1), on Tuesday handed over a newly constructed modern market to Ogboji community to promote agribusiness and reduce post-harvest losses in Anambra State.
Adani-Omor Crops Processing Zonal Programme Coordinator, ATASP-1, Mr. Romanus Egba, performed the handover ceremony held at Ogboji in Orumba South Local Government Area.
It would be recalled that in 2014, The Federal Government secured a loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) for the implementation of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme Phase 1 (ATASP-1).
The programme which commenced in March 2015, was designed to contribute to food and nutrition security, employment generation, and wealth creation along with rice, cassava, and sorghum value chains.
Egba said that the market would help
increase access to fresh, healthy food, add value to local agricultural produce, provide revenue, and impact local businesses, governments and residents.
He said that the federal government’s intervention had fulfilled the yearnings of the leaders and people of the community.
According to him, “We built this market because we discovered that it ranked high on the community’s list of needs and we decided to satisfy them.”
“Initially, we wanted to drill a borehole in the community to provide clean water for them, but we discovered that farmers and traders do not have a market to sell their farm produces
He said, “This market is in support of our farmers who cultivate rice, cassava, or sorghum to attain maximum yields and create employment opportunities along the value chain.”
“It is also about providing social infrastructure and support services that enable these farmers to sell their produce and attain better living standards, ” he said.
Egba said the market which had open shops or stalls, lockup shops, and toilet facilities, was built with grants from the AfDB and Anambra state government’s counterpart funds, with zero financial contribution from the community.
He called for affordable and equitable allocation of the stalls and shops as well as proper maintenance of the market.
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Also, Mr. Chinedu Ugwuta, zonal Gender, and Social Development Specialist, ATASP-1, Adani Omor zone, urged leaders of the community to ensure that at least 40 percent of the shops were allocated to women in the area.
He explained that there was a need to meet the AfDB recommended gender balancing system.
Chairman of Orumba South Local government area, Mr. Cyprain Okeke, expressed appreciation to ATASP-1 for choosing Orumba South out of four local government areas of intervention.
The President General of Ogboji Town Union, Rev. Lawrence Uchenna, who commended ATASP-1 for the project, promised that the community would take ownership of the market and ensure its proper maintenance.
