By Amaechi Agbo

In its determined effort to promote yam as a major earner of foreign trade, the federal government has commissioned the yam storage facility at the faculty of Agriculture, Nasarawa State University, Keffi-Shabu- Lafia.

The yam storage facility would store 45-50 Metric tonnes of Yam seed and is estimated to cover 16 hectares of land when planted.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono while speaking during the Commissioning Ceremony over the weekend, noted that the huge output of using clean seed yam will boost production, increase earnings of yam farmers and enhance the export of yam from Nasarawa state.

The Minister said that the location of the facility inside the university will immensely add value in teaching, research and income generation for the farmers in the State, adding that the facility will generate about 200 jobs to the value chain.

In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor, Nasarawa State University, Keffi-Shabu- Lafia, Prof. Suleiman Bala Mohammed appreciated the minister and his team for commissioning the Yam storage facility. He disclosed that the facility would be harnessed to support the Federal Government’s efforts towards improving agricultural productivity, promote research and enhance the economic diversification agenda of the federal government.

Prof. Bala Mohammed informed that the sum of N35 million was released by the State Government to establish an aeroponics system for seed production and it is also a component of yam value chain.

The Minister in another engagement in the company of  the Chairman ,Senate Committee on Agriculture, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, visited Shabu Integrated Farms, Kokona in Nasarawa State, where he expressed satisfaction with the storage facilities displayed by RIELA International, an Organisation that specializes in manufacturing high quality storage and Processing equipment, planning, engineering, assembling and services  for efficient and cost effective solutions of grain handling and preservation. The Minister was taken through a chain of corn processing from de kenneling the corn from the through cleaning to producing the corn flour among other products.

The Minister in the company of the Executive Governor of Nassarawa State, Engr. Abdulahi Sule, had earlier paid a visit to the Dangote Sugar Farm housing 68,000 hectares of sugar farm in Tunga, Nassarawa State, well reticulated from river Tunga which when operational will change the sugar narrative of the nation.