Agriculture
IN a bid to follow up to the flag-off of 2021 farming season by Gov. Willie Obiano, the ministry of agriculture has since commenced the distribution of agro-inputs to the farmers in the 21 Local Government Areas, LGAs, in Anambra.
Among the LGAs covered in the current exercise are Dunkofia, Njikoka and Anaocha.
The input distribution to farmers in the state is an annual exercise designed by the government to provide support to farmers and encourage them to adopt best agronomic practices to increase their yield.
As usual, the state government provided hybrid rice and maize seeds, cassava cuttings, fertilisers — organic and inorganic — Okro and tomato seeds.
The commissioner for agriculture, Nnamdi Onukwuba, and the permanent secretary, Stephanie Keri Uzo, supervised the distribution teams in order to achieve the intended result.
Addressing the rural farmers, the Team Leader for Njikoka, Dunukofia and Anaocha LGAs and special assistant to the governor on agriculture, Obioma Mbanefo, said that the initiative was to help the farmers in all the communities in the state to achieve a certain harvest output.
He added that the governor wanted to use the scheme to boost rural farming, a secondary approach to food security.
Mbanefo noted that the inputs would be shared evenly among all identified farmers.
In their separate remarks, the Transition Committee Chairman, Dunukofia Local Government Area, Emeka Chinweze, and the Head of Local Government Administration, Njikoka LGA, Thomas Anumudu, commended the move, noting that the annual practice has immense returns.
The director, “Ugbo Azụ Unọ” department in the state ministry of agriculture, Juliana Edochie, who also taught the farmers the different techniques for practicing farming at home, urged them to use the inputs for the best purpose.
Gladys Okoye and Peter Amaegwu, who were among the beneficiaries said that the inputs would help them through the farming season, as well as increase their cultivation.
Meanwhile in Anambra West, the inputs distributed included rice seeds, maize seeds, okro and tomato seeds as well as organic fertilizers.
The inputs were shared among the 10 communities that make up the LGA.
Addressing the farmers before handing over the inputs, the commissioner for agriculture, Onukwuba represented by the Special Adviser to Governor on Agric, Mike Afah enjoined them to plant the seeds using the best agronomic practices for optimum yield.
In his response, the secretary of All Farmers Association, Anambra West LGA, Amos Ubom, thanked the governor for the yearly support to farmers with hybrid seeds.
“We the farmers are happy,’’ he said and assuring on behalf of other farmers to make judicious use of the inputs to produce food massively for the state.
– June 18, 2021 @ 17:53 GMT |
Tags: Agriculture ministry commences distribution of Agro input to 21 LGAs
