The Director of Agriculture at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Wellington Omoragbon, has said that the Federal Government of Nigeria has boosted agricultural development in Edo.
He said in an interview in Benin that the federal government’s intervention on agriculture in the state from 2015 to date has been tremendous.
Mr. Omoragbon told the Nigeria News Agency (NAN) that the exploits were made on the platform of the Agricultural Promotion Plan (APP) set up to achieve sustainable national food security in the country.
He noted that the APP was designed to reposition agriculture as a driver of economic growth and job creation.
He explained that the federal government provided agricultural inputs to farmers at subsidized rates of 50 percent and sometimes for free.
“The federal government has remained committed to training farmers and extension workers in the state.
“The federal government has trained more than 40 extension workers to teach farmers in the state the best modern farming practices.
“Over 150 rice farmers, 30 honey producers and 40 coconut farmers have also been trained with a focus on women and youths”.
“The ministry also distributed five units of agro-food processing equipment for oil palm and cassava”.
“They were given to farmers in Okogbo village in Orhionmwon local government area for added value to oil palm and cassava production”.
“Five tricycles were given to five cooperative societies to take their produce to market from their farms, among others,” he said.
Mr. Omoragbon said in rural development, the federal government has built 30 motorized boreholes and 3,100 solar street lights in Edo communities.
He listed beneficiary communities across the state to include Unemen, Uhonmora, Utagban, Evbiodia, Uromi town, Igara, Iguobazuwa, Ihumudumu, Eme-Ora, Otuo, Ubiaja, Ikoro, Ekenwan, Okogbo and Afuze, between other.
He further explained that more than 40 rural roads stretching over 120 kilometers had been constructed and rehabilitated across the state.
He noted that the ministry had built a modern rural market in Auchi, in the Etsako West local government area of Edo, with a water facility and a fish market in illushi in the South West Esan local government. , and handed over the facilities to the communities.
“As part of the breeding, we built a pigsty, distributed fish fry and goats to farmers in collaboration with the national agricultural development program”.
“Two full 20 metric ton rice processing machine units were also distributed to farmers”.
He said the federal government had built a warehouse with a capacity of 2,000 metric tons inside the Irrua silo complex in the central Esan local government area of the state.
He noted that the silo with a capacity of 25,000 metric tonnes has been rehabilitated and ready to receive grain.
The director added that 500 hectares of land had been prepared for farmers in the Uzanu community in the Etsako East local government area and 50 hectares for rice farmers.
(NAN)
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