Kogi Government Pledges Support For Agricultural Exhibition

By Taiye Bayode

Kogi Ministry of Commerce and Industry, through the Hon. Commissioner, Hon. Muhammed Muktar Shuaibu, hosted a delegation from the Commodity Agricultural Forum (CAF), Kogi State chapter, at the state secretariat, Lokoja.

The visit which held on Tuesday, was to formally introduce CAF to the ministry and to solicit its support for an upcoming agricultural exhibition tagged “Kogi Agricultural Revolution and Industrialization Project”, which CAF is organizing as the first of its kind in the state.

Opening proceedings, the CAF Kogi State Chairman, Moru Tijani Ahmed, explained that the Commodity Agricultural Forum is a sustainability structure born out of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Value Chain Development Programme, which has been running since 2019.

Ahmed noted that CAF currently operates in five local governments – Lokoja, Ajaokuta, Ibadan, Olamaboro, and Ikaba – with plans to expand to all 21 local governments in Kogi State following the exhibition.

The forum works with farmers, processors, and marketers across the rice and cassava value chains, with aspirations to extend to all other agricultural produce.

The Chairman describing the upcoming exhibition as a platform to bring together approximately 1,000 farmers from across all 21 local governments, alongside agro-input dealers, service providers, and industry stakeholders, plans to showcase agricultural produce and value-added products, while noting that eleven ministries considered relevant to agricultural production and economic growth had been invited to participate.

Beyond the exhibition, CAF outlined a second phase focused on sustaining the momentum through stronger interconnectivity between crop producers, agro-input dealers, tractor service providers, certification agencies, and agri-value chain industries, also emphasizing the critical role of the Ministry in facilitating market linkages, supporting certification, and helping to position Kogi State’s agricultural output for both national and international markets, and to consider making the exhibition an annual event.

Welcoming the delegation, the Permanent Secretary, Hajiya Sualihat Musa Amana, acknowledged that following a preliminary meeting with the ministry, it became clear that the scope of support being requested warranted direct engagement with the Honourable Commissioner.

Responding, the Honourable Commissioner, Hon. Mohammed Mukhtar Shuaibu, extended the ministry’s support to CAF and its objectives, commending the CAF leadership for the depth of preparation and research, evident in their presentation, in line with the vision of the Ododo Administration, while encouraging all members of the forum to give maximum cooperation to the leadership in achieving the exhibition’s goals.

A vote of thanks on behalf of the CAF delegation was given by committee member Mariam Abubakar, who expressed the delegation’s deep gratitude to the Honourable Commissioner and the Ministry for the strong assurance of support, describing it as a source of great encouragement for the forum ahead of the exhibition.