The Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) Project in Enugu State has achieved a significant milestone by completing and equipping 15 aggregation and cottage processing centers across the state. These facilities are set to revolutionize the agricultural landscape in Enugu by providing essential infrastructure, equipment, and energy access to farm clusters.
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| Mrs. Ihuoma Eze, Acting State Project Coordinator, Enugu State APPEALS Project |
The APPEALS Project's objective in the State is to enhance agricultural productivity and improve value addition along priority value chains of Rice, Cashew and Poultry. It has also addressed the challenges faced by farmers in the State, who often suffer from post-harvest losses due to inadequate storage and processing facilities.
To combat these issues, the project has established common-user facilities in 15 strategic locations across the state. These centers will cater to farmers engaged in the cashew, poultry, and rice value chains, allowing them to store and process their produce to meet international standards.
The project's interventions aim to enhance productivity, improve value addition, and open up new market opportunities, both locally and internationally, for Enugu farmers. This initiative is expected to contribute significantly to the state's economic growth while aligning perfectly with Enugu State's agricultural policies.
Each of the 15 Aggregation and Processing Centers is strategically located to serve specific value chain belts within the state. These centers have been equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and tools to facilitate the processing and aggregation of cashew, rice, and poultry.
Simultaneously, the Enugu State APPEALS Project has addressed the critical issue of energy access by installing electricity at 10 locations, connecting farm clusters and common-user facilities to the national grid with a 500kVA/0.415 power facility. This step provides a crucial infrastructural drive and the much-needed electricity to power these essential agricultural areas.
The 15 Aggregation and Processing Centers are distributed across 11 locations, covering the three senatorial zones in Enugu State. The energy intervention sites, meanwhile, are strategically positioned to ensure efficient access to power for all involved stakeholders.
While responding to the newsmen, Mrs. Ihuoma Eze, the Acting State Project Coordinator of Enugu APPEALS, highlighted the project's significant achievements in enhancing agricultural productivity in the state. Since its inception in 2019, the project has empowered 1,700 women and youth to start agri-businesses across various value chains. The project has provided valuable support, including training, technology demonstrations, grants, and the establishment of aggregation and processing centers. Additionally, it has connected farm clusters to the national electricity grid through energy support.
One of the major challenges that Enugu APPEALS is addressing is postharvest losses. The aggregation and processing centers play a crucial role in solving this problem by ensuring the quality and market value of agricultural products. These centers, located in Nara, Adani, and Oduma, are like one-stop shops for high-quality processed products, such as local rice.
Mrs. Ihuoma Eze expressed confidence in the project's performance, emphasizing the support received from the state government and the World Bank. She noted that APPEALS has exceeded expectations and significantly improved the livelihoods of farmers in the state. The government has been proactive in addressing project requirements, even going beyond the norm to ensure its success.
The Women and Youth Empowerment Programme was a major focus of Enugu APPEALS. They received over 30,000 applications, shortlisted 1,700 beneficiaries, and provided them with intensive training, business registration, and funding through corporate bank accounts. This initiative aimed to create business owners out of the previously unemployed, with a focus on various value chains.
Mrs Ihuoma Eze commended Gov. Peter Mbah's administration's overarching support, vision and passion about agriculture, stating that the current administration has mapped out key areas it is focusing on places like agroprocessing zones, packaging and exportation of agric- products, increasing productivity of farmers, agro-industrialization and increasing food security; these aligning very well with what APPEALS has been doing. "The project contributed its quota to food security, it has also increased the livelihood of each beneficiary. The 15 aggregation and processing centres in 11 locations of the state will enhance processing, standardization and export potentials, which is a key agricultural policy of Governor Peter Mbah's administration"
"the state government has been very supportive. Currently, the government of the day, gave swift attention to all our requests to fast-track implementation. There have been a lot of improvement between the state government and the funding partner, which is the World Bank. I want to particularly mention that this present government even went beyond the normal to take up some aspects of the project we could not accomplish because of time and funding. I am talking about the farm access roads which we ought to have done but couldn't due to some restraints but which the current state government has made commitments to construct. We are very grateful for that. It has also committed to complete the infrastructure projects and to fund them in an unlikely event they are not completed before project closure" she said.
She went further to express her desire for APPEALS to be remembered for its contributions to women and youth empowerment, infrastructural development, and agricultural sector intervention. She hoped to see the aggregation and processing centers operating sustainably, achieving the project's objectives, and positively impacting food security and job creation in the state.
Ambrose Igboke, PhD, the Editor/Communication Officer of Enugu APPEALS Project, reflected on the project's journey since its commencement in Enugu State on 1st May 2019. He acknowledged that the State Coordinating Office faced initial challenges as it was the last to join the project nationwide. Despite these teething issues, the team persevered, overcame obstacles, and successfully implemented the project. Over the course of four years, they achieved a remarkable 100% total implementation of 1,700 beneficiaries in the Women and Youth Empowerment Programme (WYEP) and supported farmers in the Commodity Interest Groups (CIGs) and SMEs categories.
Ambrose Igboke praised the dedication of the State Coordinating Office's Management and Staff, led by Mrs. Ihuoma Eze, and the support of Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah. They managed to close the project with outstanding results, being recognized as the best in the country for fund utilization (93.3%) and the best in terms of activity performance (100%). Notable achievements included the construction and equipping of 15 aggregation and cottage processing centers in rice, cashew, and poultry farm clusters, as well as the provision and installation of energy in 10 locations to power these farm clusters.
The success stories of the project, as shared by the beneficiaries, were captured in the Enugu APPEALS Newsletter. Ambrose Igboke emphasized that the impacts of APPEALS would continue to benefit farmers and contribute to the economic advancement of Enugu State in the years to come, highlighting the enduring positive legacy of the project.
Agriculture is undeniably pivotal to Enugu State's economic growth and prosperity goals. The APPEALS Project in Enugu State has made a significant contribution to the state's agricultural landscape by constructing and equipping these 15 aggregation and processing centers. Additionally, the provision of 10 energy intervention sites is a testament to the project's commitment to driving agro-industrialization in Enugu State.
The APPEALS Project's investments in infrastructure, equipment, and energy access are set to empower local farmers, enhance the agricultural value chain, and play a vital role in advancing Enugu State's economic development and prosperity. This ambitious initiative represents a significant step towards achieving economic viability for the state and its citizens.
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| Ambrose Igboke PhD Editor/Communication Officer, Enugu APPEALS Project |
