By Haruna Kuyateh
Agriculture ministry’s food technology services with support from the International Trade Centre has trained 20 people including youths and women on food processing and preservation techniques, held at Njawara Agricultural Training Centre, North Bank Region.
Trainees were trained on packaging and levelling and most importantly hygiene and sanitation. Groundnut cake, pepper sauce, orange marmalade, complementary food and mix fruit juice.
Modoulamin Jobe. acting director Food Technology Services FTS underscored the importance of building the capacity of youths and women on food processing, add value addition and address post-harvest loss, adding the value addition is key to enhance consumption local products and create market opportunities.
He assured of the Department of Agriculture support through partnership with EU funded International Trade Centre and noting that such training would help to make farmers to make price maker and price taker.
Babucarr Bajinka, representative of governor challenged beneficiaries to be vigilant and proactive in transferring skills and knowledge on Agro processing and take up the skills that can entrepreneurship.
Salieu Samba, project manager at NATC said the training would help to increase consumption of local products through value addition, and called on the beneficiaries to utilize the skills and knowledge on food processing and contribute to address post-harvest losses.
Njabel Bah, Agricultural Officer at Regional Agricultural Directorate in Kerewan, said that the skills acquire can help to establish food processing centres and encourage more youths and women to become food processors.
