NAN-AE-16
Inputs
By Douglas Okoro
Izzi (Ebonyi), June 15, 2017 (NAN) The Ebonyi Government on Thursday commenced the formal distribution of assorted farm inputs to farmers in the state for the 2017 wet season farming.
The inputs, procured under joint partnership with the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and the state government, would be distributed to the five demonstration local government areas.
Gov. Dave Umahi, while declaring open the exercise, gave an assurance that his administration was committed to ensuring food sufficiency in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the five local government areas to receive the inputs are Ikwo, Izzi, Ishielu, Ohaozara and Afikpo North.
The inputs for distribution include NPK and Urea fertilizers, improved rice seedlings, 250 bundles of cassava stems, herbicides and irrigation pipes, among others.
Umahi, represented by his deputy, Dr Eric Kelechi-Igwe, urged the people to key into the agricultural development initiative of the government.
He charged farmers, especially the beneficiaries of the farm inputs, to take advantage of the transformation in the agriculture sector to boost production.
He said that the government had demonstrated enough commitment towards increasing agricultural production in the state to enhance food sufficiency and encourage agro-based businesses.
Umahi lauded IFAD for partnering the state in its agricultural productivity enhancement programme, with an assurance that the government would not relent in the payment of its counterpart funding.
“Our focus is to make agriculture a major revenue earner for the state, especially now that revenue from oil is increasingly and steadily depleting.
“We will do everything within our powers to encourage our local farmers to increase their production, to ensure that we have enough to eat and to export to the outside world.
“We are also committed to providing fertile ground for growth and development of agro-based businesses, to enhance steady market for farm produce.
“We commend IFAD for partnering with the government in the initiative and I want to assure our international partner that we will always show commitment in the payment of our counterpart fund.”
He urged IFAD to extend the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) to all the 13 local government areas of the state, to enable farmers in the state to benefit from the programme.
“We are talking about food availability and food sufficiency across the state and to achieve this, we must ensure that the IFAD VCDP is taken to the remaining eight local government areas.”
Earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr Uchenna Orji, said that the farm inputs would boost agricultural yield this planting season.
He urged beneficiaries to make good use of the inputs in order to complement government’s efforts toward ensuring increased food availability and sufficiency.
He said that the government had procured modern rice milling machines and cassava processing plants for installation in selected local government areas.
Earlier in an address, IFAD state Coordinator, Mr Sunday Ituma, said that the goal of the programme was to reduce rural poverty, increase food security and ensure accelerated economic growth on a sustainable basis.
Ituma said that the programme was being implemented under three major components including agricultural market development, smallholder productivity enhancement and programme management and coordination.
He explained that no fewer than 6,245 farmers were supported during the 2016 farming season.
According to him, the intervention added 25,000 tonnes of paddy to the rice production output of the state and injected over N4 billion into the state economy.
“For the 2017 wet season, we target to support 10,000 farmers; as at today, a total of 455 Business Plans have been verified and approved with a total of 7,478 farmers expected to cultivate 8,252 hectares,” he said. (NAN)
ODO/CEO/NKO
===========
Edited by Chidi Opara/Nkechi Okoronkwo
======================================