Obiano launches 2019 Farming season programme

Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, has launched the 2019 Farming Season at the Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka.

The theme, “Cluster development: A Vehicle for Sustainable Agriculture” is to consolidate on the achievements of the present administration in Agriculture.

This year’s event witnessed distribution of inputs to small scale farmers, launching of the Anambra Farmers Shop Initiative and flag off of the Apiculture or Honey Bee Farming Programme.

Others include launching of the Smart Weather Soldiers Initiative as well as the Youths in Agriculture programme.

Also at the event was re-introduction of the ‘Ugbo Umu-akwukwo’ or School Farm programme into primary and secondary schools, to inculcate agricultural skills early in our school children.

Governor Obiano disclosed that his administration had recorded excellence in agriculture since his assumption of office.

It would be recalled that rice production in Anambra State had risen from 80,000 metric tonnes in 2014 to 440,000 metric tonnes in 2018.

He said: “Our projection for this planting season is to produce 475,547 metric tons of rice. Similarly, Cassava production rose from 15,324 metric tons when I stepped in to 1,236,409 metric tons in 2018.

“Now we are projecting a cassava output of 2,060, 682 metric tonnes in 2019. Maize production stood at 22,000 metric tonnes last season and we are projecting an output of 63, 255 metric tonnes of maize for this season.

“The same thing applies to vegetables where we projected 96,480 metric tonnes last season but this season we are projecting 321,600 metric tonnes. Our projection for yam this year is 83,600 metric tonnes.

“All these are clear indications that our vision to place Anambra State in the Top-3 of agricultural production in Nigeria is firmly on course,” the Governor added.

Gov Obiano regretted the scale of the havoc wrecked by the flood as well as the clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the last farming season.

Also speaking, Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Nnamdi Onukwuba, stated that the government had trained various youths in Agriculture.

Onukwuba noted that the state’s participation in the IFAD-Assisted Value Chain Development Programme had continued to be of high benefits to the state.

The Commissioner extolled the Governor for his huge investment in agriculture, which had created various windows of avenues.