AWKA – Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra State on Thursday promised to develop the state’s agricultural sector to guarantee abundant food for consumption, packaging, processing and manufacturing by industries.
Obiano made the pledge at the World Food Day celebration in Awka.
The day is observed globally by UN to encourage investment in agriculture, improve rural development and food security worldwide.
The theme of this year’s celebration is, “Family Farming, Feeding the Earth, Caring for the World”.
The governor, in his address said that his administration was working toward making each of the state’s 21 local government areas self-sufficient in fish, cassava, rice and maize production.
He said that in the last six months, the government had attracted investment worth not less than 600 million dollars (N99 billion) to the sector.
He said that three vocational centres would be established in the three senatorial districts of the state to train youths on various agricultural techniques.
Obiano added that about 15,000 youths would be absorbed into agriculture, and enjoined farmers in the state who had not registered as members of a cooperative to do so.
“We want to form cooperatives around the belts for primary products such as cassava, rice and maize in areas where they grow best.
“Seedlings as well as other farm inputs and implements would be distributed based on cooperatives,” he said.
He said the cooperative structure would be the beneficiaries of loans attracted from banks to assist the farmers and would also be helped in harnessing and obtaining assistance from the government.
Earlier, the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Nnamdi Mekor, commended the governor for his blue-print on agriculture which, he said would yield remarkable results. (NAN)
