Enugu hosts 3rd Nutritious Food Fair, 15,000 visitors expected

SME Centre in Enugu State is set to host the third edition of Nutritious Food Fair (NFF) between 28 and 30 November with the theme: Scaling-Up Nutritious Food Choices: Engaging Everyone, Everywhere.
 
Dr. Paul Ilona, Country Manager of HarvestPlus Nigeria, 
 According to the organizers, HarvestPlus Nigeria, the annual event which has the objective of eliminate hidden hunger and creating awareness on the need for foods consumed by Nigerians to have nutrients that will help the body organs to function properly, is expected to attract about 15,000 participants.

Dr. Paul Ilona, Country Manager of HarvestPlus Nigeria, who disclosed this at a breakfast meeting with journalists in Lagos on Monday, said Nigerians should begin to connect the dots between nutrition and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for economic development.  He said efforts are being made to naturally fortify staple foods in Nigeria with appropriate nutrients to promote healthy living. He added that the fair would further educate Nigerians on bio-fortified crops.

Ilona said unlike eating habits in the Western world that are quality-based, eating habits of Nigerians are quantity-based. “Nigerians emphasise quantity when eating. Most Nigerians are interested in filling the stomach and fail to pay attention to the quality of food ingested. It is essential for Nigerians to begin to link hunger with the growth of the cells of the body.”

He warned that Nigerians must begin to pay attention to hidden hunger which he described as lack of correct nutrients to organs of the body such as eyes, liver, kidney and heart. “If we are to build Nigeria of the future, we should be looking at the development of grey matter,” he said, adding that it is good to know that the Federal Government has recognized nutrition as a silent weapon to address developmental issues.
Dr. Paul Ilona, Country Manager, HarvestPlus Nigeria (L) and Mr. Fidelis Duker, Chairman Organising Committee of Nutritious Food Fair (NFF) at a breakfast meeting with journalists in Lagos on Monday to announce the 3rd edition of NFF holding in Enugu between 28 and 30 November

Mr. Fidelis Duker, Chairman, Organizing Committee of the 3rd NFF, disclosed that the three-day event will comprise of panel discussions, seminars, exhibitions and workshops. He said the grand finale of NutriQuiz, a quiz competition in science and nutritional knowledge anchored by Nollywood Star Segun Arinze and organised for schools across the country will also take place during the fair.

Duker said farming in Nigeria today has gone beyond hoes and cutlasses and so, the organizers expect over 3,000 job opportunities to be created in the agriculture value chain after participants have undergone training and are exposed to latest technologies in the field of agriculture. The event will also showcase biofortified crops and derivative products as well as latest processing technologies, he said.

HarvestPlus Nigeria is a member of the CGIAR Research Programme on Agriculture for Nutrition.




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