By Martins Abochol
Jalingo, January 16, 2026
The Taraba State Government, in collaboration with the Federal Government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) through its Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), has graduated a batch of trained youth fabricators as part of efforts to deepen agricultural mechanisation in the state.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony held on Friday in Jalingo, the State Programme Coordinator (SPC) of VCDP, Mr. Irmiya Musa, described the training as a critical component of the programme’s mandate to promote value addition and enhance productivity across key agricultural value chains.
Musa urged the beneficiaries to effectively utilise their acquired skills to support the mechanisation drive of both the federal and Taraba State governments, noting that locally fabricated machines would help reduce costs and dependence on imported equipment.
Also speaking, the Rural Institutions, Gender and Youth Mainstreaming Officer (RIGYMO) of VCDP, Mrs. Altine James, said the programme was deliberately structured to ensure the inclusion of women and youths in its implementation process.
According to her, VCDP has developed an enterprise model along the rice and cassava value chains aimed at improving production, processing and marketing, while creating sustainable wealth for youths and women in rural communities.
James disclosed that the programme collaborated with the Taraba State Polytechnic, Suntai, to provide the beneficiaries with basic fabrication training before enrolling them in a refresher course to update their skills and technical knowledge.
She explained that the participants were tasked with designing and fabricating a rice thresher, adding that the machine produced could thresh two bags of rice per hour, operate in limited space, run on diesel, and be manufactured within local communities.
“This initiative is bringing agro-processing equipment and mechanisation closer to rural farmers and making agriculture more attractive, especially to women and youths,” James said.
One of the beneficiaries, Mr. Dangana Agabi, a rice thresher manufacturer based in Wukari, commended VCDP for strengthening his technical capacity, saying the refresher training enhanced his skills in value addition.
Another participant, Mr. Nasiru Sulaiman, a gas cylinder producer in Jalingo, said the training would help diversify his skills in the manufacturing sector, noting that acquiring expertise in rice thresher production would positively impact his business.
