In a bid to encourage wet season farming and reduce the high cost of food in the country, the Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru has flagged off distribution of tractors, Fertilizers and High-yield rice seeds to rural farmers in the State.
Governor Nwifuru who performed the exercise at the Pa Ngele Orunta Township Stadium, Abakaliki assured that rural farmers across the 13 Local Government Areas will receive the facilities to boost farm yields and agriculture production.
Ebonyi State in South East Nigeria is blessed with vast fertile arable lands, spanning across its 13 Local Government Areas.
This is evident in the large production of the popular Abakaliki rice, maize, yam tubers, and many other stable food products.
But, much of the farming system practised by the people remain subsistence, with farmers still using crude manual tools.
Governor Nwifuru is however determined to change the people’s plights by bringing modern farming technologies that would increase production, boost yields, ensure food security and create jobs for the youths.
The Governor has therefore flagged-off the distribution of tractors, high-yield rice seeds and fertilizers to rural farmers to aid them achieve targets.
Both, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Nkechinyere Iyioku and her counterpart in Human Capital Development and Monitoring, Ann Aligwe say the farming facilities dolled out by the State government are the first batch which include; 13 thousand bags of fertilizer, high yield rice seeds, herbicides to be distributed to farmers as well as palliatives to Ebonyi people across the 13 LGAs in the State.
36 trailer loads of palliative are equally being distributed to the people of Ebonyi State to mitigate the effect of the current high cost of food items, as part of activities marking the One year in office of the Governor.
Editor : Ena Agbanoma
