The SASAKAWA Africa Association (SAA), in collaboration with the Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP), has trained and empowered 45 local fabricators on the production of agricultural machines in Kano State.
SAA Country Director, Mr Godwin Atseye, disclosed this shortly after inspecting local fabricators’ workshop supported by the project, on Wednesday in Kano.
He said the program aims to enhance the skills of local fabricators and welders in order to enable them to produce high-quality agricultural machines that meet the needs of smallholder farmers.
He explained that the trainees were selected from 44 local government areas of Kano State, and were supported with working materials after the training.
“We collaborated with some research institutions, like the agricultural engineering department workshop at the Institute of Agriculture Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, to train these fabricators, and we supported them with working materials so that they could provide us with machines with higher output.”
“The 45 local fabricators have been trained and supported with welding and fabrication kits. The kits include a pair of welding helmets, safety glasses, welding inverter machines, angle grinders, safety booths, and protective gloves.”
He said the initiative of building the capacity of fabricators in the agricultural sector will stop the importation of all agricultural machines from abroad.
Speaking about the benefits they enjoyed, a beneficiary of the training from Fagge local government area, Sani Hassan Musa expressed his gratitude to KSADP/SAA for the kind gesture.
“I’m very happy with the training and the kind of treatment that we have received during the training; they provided us with free accommodation and a stipend. We were trained and empowered with all the equipment for the work.”
“The training really helped me a lot. I initially have a little experience with fabrication, but during the training I learned so many things that I didn’t know before.”
“As I am talking to you now, I fabricated more than 50 machines after the training. Some of the machines that I manufactured are multicrop threshers, groundnut threshers, hammer mills, and the rest. I have about 15 people that are working under me in this workshop.”
The media field visit proceeded to Rimin Gado in order to oversee the activities of rice milling enterprises established by KSADP/SAA, The rice milling enterprises are under the control of women in the community.
The country director and project coordinator, Abdulrasheed Hamisu, expressed satisfaction with their commitments and the success that they have recorded.
During the visit, the leader of the group, Hajiya Abu Rimin Gado, thanked KSADP/SAA for the support, adding that they were able to open shops in the community with the profits they generated.
In the same vein, the media tour proceeded to Gwarzo local government area and interacted with a maize organic demo farmer and others in order to see the impact of the KSADP/SAA intervention in their farming, and all the beneficiaries were happy with the intervention as they recount their gains.
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