ASABA/Nigeria: The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hon. Julius Egbedi, has reiterated the resolve of the state government to partner with farmers in the state to improve, increase and make the state number one in food production.
Hon. Egbedi stated this when the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Delta State Chapter, paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Asaba.
The agriculture commissioner stated that the government of Dr Ifeanyi Okowa would build on past collaborations with farmers or probably improve on it to ensure that farmer had the needed assistance to increase on food production in the state.
He promised to look into the issue of support grants to farmer in the budgetary provision if there is any so that farmers in the state, he adding that partnership with the farmers will take the state to a greater height in food production.
“Farmers actually need a lot of encouragement and assistance, coupled with the fact that some states are already doing it and enjoying it. Some are booming in rice production. Our terrain is different from their terrain, so in that light we suppose to assist our farmers,” Hon. Egbedi stated.
The Agric commissioner who stated that he was happy with the various state government’s programmes to assist farmers said that he appreciated the state government developed means whereby farmers can easily paid back loans collected from the state government, even as he commend the farmers for paying back loan collected, saying, “That is encouraging and will also encourage government to do more.”
The commissioner assured the farmers that the state government would look into the issue of CBN sponsored Anchor Borrowers’ programme so that every farmer in the state would benefit from it.
On the issue of the World Food Day celebrated in the state every October, the commissioner promised the farmers that the ministry would find a way of factoring them into the celebration so that the farmers would not be pushed aside.
The Senior Special Assistant to Governor on Agriculture Matters (SSA), Hon. Jerry Ossai, had requested that the problem of lack of reliable database for farmers should be looked into so that the state can have the data of all farmers in the state to help government and farmers make informed decisions.
Hon. Ossai stated that with a proper data base of all farmers in the state, there will be reliable information of who is producing what and where, which will help government to know the provision for who and what at where in relation to financial assistance to farmers.
Earlier, the Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Delta State chapter, Sir Richard Asenime thanked the commissioner and the state Government for past assistance meted to the farmers in the past years in the area of input supply in piglets, fish juveniles, day-old chick, cassava stems and fertilizer to the association.
Sir Asenime appealed to the government to make provision in the budget for assistance to farmers as practiced at the federal level and some state government.
Present at the meeting were the acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Charles Diai and other directors in the ministry.
