…. ‘YOU WILL ALSO SEE THE INFLUX OF INVESTORS- AGRIC
COMMISSIONER, UBRU
Things appear to be turning around for farmers across the country. While the
governments at the state and federal levels are distributing farm inputs for
farmers to thrive during the dry season, the governments are collaborating
with agencies, locally and globally, to make a difference in agricultural
production in Nigeria beginning from this year. The latest effort is from the
Enugu State Government, which inaugurated two rice mills, solar-powered
boreholes and cassava processing centres in five local government areas of
the state. The gesture is part of the official design to assist rural farmers.
The projects were done in collaboration with the International Fund for
Agricultural Development- Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD-
VCDP).
The benefiting local government areas were Aninri, Enugu East, Nkanu East,
Isi Uzo and Udenu. Some of the projects inaugurated included two rice
milling processing centers at Nenwe in Aninri LGA, Solar powered boreholes
in Amechi Idodo and Mbulu Owo in Nkanu East LGA, Cassava processing
centers at Umuagama Ezimo, Ogbeke Nike in Udenu and Enugu East LGAs
respectfully.
Others are market stalls at Umualor and Nkwo Mbu in Isi-Uzo LGA as well
as Solar boreholes at Obollo Etiti, Ezimo Agu, Ibenda in Obollo Eke in
Udenu LGA and many others.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Mr
Patrick Ubru, said the projects were in line with the vision of the state Gov.
Peter Mbah, to eliminate poverty and develop the agricultural sector.
According to him, most of the projects visited and inaugurated are channeled
toward improving the livelihood of the farmers and ensuring that they do not
only produce at the primary level but also add value to their produce.
Ubru said, “What we saw at Nenwe in Aninri rice processing mill, when the
farmers finish with their farming and harvest, they can easily take it to the
mill to process it. “This will help them to eliminate post-harvest losses and
get more money. At Mbulu Owo, can you see how happy people are because
the government provided water for the rice farmers?
“When our governor came on board, he said within 180 days there would be
water in Enugu State; today, Mbulu Owo and Amechi Idodo benefitted from
it and several other communities.”
Despite this development, the state is not resting on its oars. According to the
commissioner, within the next two months, the construction of the proposed
Special Agro Processing Zone in Mbulu Owo will take off. That, he said, would
be replicated in the other two senatorial zones of the state. While assuring that
Mbah government would make the state ‘self-sufficient in rice production in the next
few years to come’, Ubru added, “Very soon, we will begin to see the use of
tractors in our farming system as Gov Mbah promised to mechanise the
agricultural sector and where people are farming two or three hectares, you
see them farming five to six hectares.” The commissioner expressed
confidence that the policy of government in this direction will encourage
investment into the state. He said, “You will also see the influx of investors to
commercialize our agriculture sector.”
He, therefore, encouraged farmers to be hopeful as the governor was willing
to take the state back to the years of glory in agriculture that was witnessed
during the time of the Premier of the defunct Eastern Region, Dr Michael
Okpara.
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