SMEDAN empowers women farmers cooperative societies in Oyo

He noted that it would contribute positively to the nation’s economy and improve the standard of living for citizens.
“I wish to add that the Oyo State Government, under the leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde, will continue to provide an enabling environment for private enterprises to thrive in the state,” he said.
In his lecture, Dr James Marsh, a food safety consultant from HAACP Academy Nigeria (HAN), charged the participants to be mindful of food hygiene, food fraud, food terrorism, bioterrorism and food sabotage in their operations.
He urged the participants to always imbibe and practice food safety so that they could favourably compete with producers in the international community.
“Majority of ailments that people have is as a result of what they eat.
“Life expectancy rate in Nigeria is not an encouraging figure, we need to focus more on preventive medicine through food safety.
“Government also need to do more on food sensitisation,” he said.
One of the beneficiaries from Agricultural Exporting Farmers’ Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Dr Oluwatomisin Olatunji, said that the training had exposed the participants to food safety system that would ensure that Nigeria products are accepted both locally and internationally.
Another beneficiary from Olorunsogo Oba-Agbe Mechanised Farmers’ Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Mrs Damilola Bukola, urged government to ensure strict compliance with food industry regulations.
She said this would help to improve standard of food coming out of Nigeria to international community.
NAN reports that the two selected cooperatives were empowered with dehydrator for drying food products, slicing machine, power miller for milling dried products and automatic sealing machine for sealing finished products. (NAN)