The Coordinator of Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange, Binfa Binchang, has revealed that about 15,000 jobs will be created through farmers cooperatives and commodity exchange projects.
Speaking at the organisation’s maiden Farmers Corporative Forum in Kano, where over 20,000 farmers under cooperative societies were in attendance, Binchang said the aim of the forum is to facilitate farmers’ interaction with government agencies and banks.
According to Mr Binchang;
“We have over 1,000 cooperatives and if you times that 1,000 by 20 members, that is in totality, we have close to over 20,000 farmers that have been registered under this cooperative, so, we are looking at where government can actually come in, liaise with us to be able to actually help farmers to get either inputs or funding for their agro-products.”
Plans unveiled: Binchang stated that the organisation has plans to bring the farmers together to interact with investors, stakeholders, and financial institutions in order to interact with them and learn new ways of doing things; including how best to market their farm produce.
“For marketing their products, we have the market and we have the Commodity Exchange and you know the Commodity Exchange functions like the Stock Market, so, commodities will be traded live on an online platform and the good thing we did, like I always say is that the phase one is almost completed.”
How this will help employment: According to Binchang, when phase one of the project is completed, it would provide direct job opportunities to no fewer than 2,000 farmers and other people in the Kanos State and elsewhere. Phase two, on the other hand, can create about 3,000 jobs, that means, in the long run, it will surpass 7,000 to 10, 000 jobs. This will no doubt help in easing the challenge of unemployment in the country, starting from Kano to other states.
About Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange: It is an ultra-modern agricultural produce commodity exchange that allows buyers and sellers of agro-commodities to transact business located in Kano state, Nigeria.