By Henry Anagbaoso
For many rural farmers, producing food is only the beginning; the ability to process, package and market farm produce can determine whether their harvest becomes a source of sustainable income. This was the focus of the 2026 Commodity Fair and Agric Show organised to showcase the skills and products of farmers across Anambra State.
The Anambra State Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation, Processing and Export, in collaboration with the Anambra State Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), organised the two-day interactive Agric Fair at Amawbia Town Hall, Awka South Local Government Area, on Sept. 23.
The event brought together farmers from the 21 Local Government Areas(LGA) of the State, with women making up a significant proportion of participants. They displayed a variety of processed agricultural products developed from crops including rice, cassava, plantain, potato and soybean.
Speaking on the purpose of the fair, the Acting State Business and Market Development Officer of VCDP, Mrs. Mary Obiekwe, said the event was an outcome of training provided through the Federal Government/International Fund for Agricultural Development (FG/IFAD) Value Chain Development Programme.
She explained that participating farmers had received training on value addition and food processing, enabling them to transform agricultural produce into products such as chin-chin, cakes, bread, soya milk, potato chips and plantain chips.
“Today, the farmers are here to show their products. We titled this event ‘Commodity Fair or Agric Show’. They are supposed to showcase the technologies they have learnt, especially in the rice and cassava value chains.
“They have been trained, empowered and given the capacity to add value to their rice and cassava produce, and today they are here to show what they have achieved so far.”
Mrs. Obiekwe said women and youths were deliberately prioritised under the programme to help them build independent livelihoods through agriculture and food processing.
“We have more women here; that is actually the objective. Women and youths are the main target. We want to draw the women out of their shells so they can establish their own businesses and stand on them,” she said.
She noted that women were particularly active in food processing, adding that many of the products displayed at the fair were produced by women who had participated in the programme.
Mrs. Obiekwe commended the facilities at the FG/IFAD training and processing centres, particularly the provision of crèches for nursing mothers, which she said enabled women to participate in training and processing activities while caring for their children.
On access to finance, she said participating women had been linked with financial institutions to enable them to access loans for purchasing equipment and other resources needed to expand their businesses.
She expressed appreciation to the farmers and other stakeholders for their contributions to the success of the fair.
At the end of the competition, farmers from Orumba South emerged winners, while Ihiala and Aguata took the first and second runner-up positions respectively.
Henry Anagbaoso is of the Ministry of Information and Value Reformation, Anambra State
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