The next harvest should be good for rice farmers in Enugu State. Over 1, 200 farmers are being supported in a programme involving the state government and two private business concerns in the state. The farmers got free rice seeds at the Adarice Farms, Adani, Uzo-Uwani Local Government area of the State. The companies are Ellah Lakes Plc and Adani SCPZ Food Company. And the type of rice seeds given to them is Faro 44, one of the popular long grain varieties in Nigeria known for its high yielding and good milling quality.
It’s adoption must have been informed by the contribution it is going to make to the official effort at boosting the production of food in the country.
The joint initiative was anchored by the state government to support agricultural and economic prosperity in the community and the state generally.
The collaboration between the trio via the state ministry of agriculture and agro-industrialisation underscores a collective commitment to empowering local farmers and promoting food security within the community. The exercise seeks to provide farmers with essential resources to enhance their agricultural practices and increase their yields.
At the ceremony, an initial 100 farmers were given 25kg of high-quality rice seeds (Faro 44). But the government and its partners will not stop at the donation. They will also and will also give training to the benefitting farmers on sustainable farming and modern planting methods. Patrick Ubru, the commissioner for agriculture and agro-industrialisation, said the state had great potential for rice cultivation and production. According to him, the government is not just looking at the farmers competing locally but on the world stage.
He said, “We are working to empower the rice farmers in the state to scale up production and become first-class premium rice producers in the world.” That was why the government partnered with willing stakeholders in the agricultural sector to help the farmers. He said, “It is in furtherance of this aim, we are grateful to Ellah Lake for empowering 1,200 farmers in the Adani cluster.”
The move is a furtherance of the vision of Governor Peter Mbah who has planned to transform the agricultural sector with huge investments to boost food production in the state.
The commissioner said it is also part of the dream of Governor Mbah to give the state economy a boost. Ubru said, “This is the only source for us to take our economy from 4.4 billion dollars to 30 billion dollars in 2031.”
Since the state government has realised that the chosen stakeholders are the right elements to work with, he assured that the relationship will transcend the distribution of rice seeds and training of farmers. Hear him: “Today’s event marks the beginning of our partnership with Ellah Lakes PLC for the Adani rice farm, a crop processing zone for which the company already has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Enugu State government.
“We invited Adani rice farmers who had to collaborate with Ellah Lakes Plc in the production of rice in Adani to be given free rice seeds.
“The governor in his wisdom is revitalising all our moribund assets, Adani comes out and with his instructions to ensure that activities commence speedily and immediately in Adani rice.
“Our partners, Ellah Lakes Plc took this move in collaboration with Enugu State government to ensure that free rice seeds are given to our rice farmers and also give them training on how to ensure that they increase their yield.”
The development is an indication that better days of high food production are back in the state. “This move is that we are set to go back to those high productive days that Adani had been known for. The governor has given us rice farmers the target to ensure that we produce 600000 metric tonnes to one million tonnes of rice annually.
“We can only do this by taking the first step of ensuring that the cultivation of Adani rice starts immediately,” Ubru affirmed.
Chuka Mordi, chief executive officer of Ellah Lakes Plc, said, “We are delighted to partner with the Enugu state government under our out-growers scheme, to empower 1,200 local farmers at Adani.”