To make sure of food security in the nation, women in Rivers State are looking at a daily production of more than 10 tons of garri with the provision of a new cassava processing plant.
This new development is coming as no less than 100 women in Abua/Odual Local Council of Rivers State have been taught mechanised garri processing to enable them to have an authentic source of livelihood.
The Voice for Empowerment Advancement Nurturing Initiative, -VEANI, a program sponsored by European Union and British Council, has educated more than 100 women on new technology in garri processing. The empowerment program benefactors included 70 women and 30 young girls, some of whom were school dropouts.
The Executive Director of VEANI, Ms. Veronica Joseph, who spoke at the two-day event, commented that after the training, the women would be grouped into five groups of 20 each to form a cooperative society, adding that they would be linked to other markets. The program was designed to allow women in rural areas to have a means of livelihood, and a viable income to increase food production in the country.