DANGOTE Cement Plc has trained and distributed farm inputs to 60 farmers in Okpella community, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo.
The company’s Head of Procurement, Sunday Oyelude, disclosed this on Wednesday at the closing of a three-day training/empowerment programme for farmers in the community.
Speaking during the distribution of the inputs to the beneficiaries, Oyelude said the empowerment of farmers was part of the company’s community development agreement requirements plan targetting host communities.
“This initiative fell under the agreement designed to support farmers in the areas.
“This is the annual farmers’ empowerment programme where indigenous people are trained on the use of farm inputs and are empowered with such.
“About 60 farmers were trained by a consultant agronomist for a period of two days and the inputs were presented to them,’’Oyelude said.
Also, the company’s Social Performance Manager, Daniel Obamina, said the empowerment was to uplift the lives of farmers in the community as well as fostering sustainable agricultural best practices.
Obamina said that 60 farmers were selected across the various villages within Okpella community.
He added that the beneficiaries were trained on agrochemicals handling and usage, fertilizer application, agronomic principles as well as practices of crop management and losses, amongst others.
Obamina said that the company was doing lots of intervention, ranging from women empowerment, road construction and award of scholarship to indigents in secondary schools and tertiary institutions.
He listed the distributed items to include 30 cartons of sunphosate, 30 cartons of Jungly-phosate, 30 cartons of relisate and 30 cartoons of foliar plus.
Others were eight cartons of imiforce, 12 cartons of diutop, 60 bags of OPV hybrid maize and 60 pressurized knapsack sprayers.
Earlier, the Chairman of Okpella Community Development Association, Peter Afiabor, encouraged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the inputs to enhance agricultural activities in the area.
Afiabor commended the company’s cordial relationship with the community and thanked Dangote for the empowerment.
“You have been trained and given farm inputs; make good use of them to enhance the economy of Okpella,” he said.
Mr Kola Ilabeshi, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, expressed gratitude to the company for the intervention.
“We want to say ‘thank you’ to the management of Dangote PLC for empowering us.
“The training and inputs given to us will improve our farming skills and boost food production in the community,” he said. (NAN)
A.I
Aug. 12, 2026
Tags: Dangote Cement PLC Daniel Obamina Mr Kola Ilabeshi Okpella Community Development Association Peter Afiabor Sunday Oyelude
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