The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), through its Strengthening Nutrition Priority Staples (SNIPS) project, has distributed 10 hammer mills to women and youth groups in Kaduna State.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the gesture is to enhance the processing of Vitamin A maize into various consumable forms.
Speaking at the event on Tuesday in Zaria , Mr Godwin Ehiabhi, Senior Project Manager of GAIN-Nigeria, emphasised the organisation’s commitment to promoting the production and consumption of safe and nutritious food.
“We are supporting processors in Kaduna with hammer mills to help them to transform Vitamin A maize into different food forms, ensuring that healthy diets reach every household,” he said.
According to Ehiabhi, the initiative is part of a broader effort to encourage farmers to transition 0.4 hectares of their farmland to biofortified crops, reinforcing food security and nutrition.
“We understand that production alone is not enough. That is why we are equipping women and youths with hammer mills to ensure that processed Vitamin A maize is readily available for consumers,” he added.
Ehiabhi disclosed that the hammer mills were distributed to various groups in Chikun, Lere, Giwa, and Kauru LGAs.
He explained that the project, which commenced in 2021, is now in its final year and aimed at providing long-term benefits to processors in the State.
In his remarks at the occasion, Mr Lachang Faden, Project Manager for Biofortification under SNIPS, explained that the five-year project focused on strengthening staple crops rich in essential nutrients.
“In this case, we are promoting Vitamin A maize to address hidden hunger and malnutrition, particularly among children, women of reproductive age, and the elderly,” he stated.
Faden clarified that the Vitamin A maize being promoted is not genetically modified but traditionally bred, with seeds bought and sold locally.
Similarly, Ibrahim Shehu, a representative of one of the benefiting LGAs, urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the equipment for sustainable food production.
Mr Abdulnafiu Sani, Kaduna State Desk Officer for the GAIN-SNIPS project, disclosed that the initiative has supported 9,000 farmers over the past four years with complete farming inputs, including 8kg of Vitamin A maize seeds and herbicides.
He added that women and youths were also trained in the production and processing of Vitamin A maize within the period under revenue, ensuring self-reliance and improved nutrition.
One of the beneficiaries, Sani Shuaibu from Kauru, pledged to utilise the hammer mills effectively, praying for the project’s continued success.
Another beneficiary, Hanatu Sale, expressed her appreciation to GAIN, saying that the support would significantly boost food production and economic empowerment in their communities.
According to the report, SNIPS project, implemented across 16 LGAs in Nigeria, has so far worked with 90,000 farmers, with 82% of its projects in Kaduna state.
Efforts are also being focused on supporting 11,000 smallholder farmers engaged in biofortified food production.
