Commissioners, Others allocated Lands in Ebonyi state for Compulsory Rice Engenderment

Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi

Ebonyi State Regime has revved up its agricultural programme by mapping and allocating lands to  the members of the Executive Council (EXCO).

The event which took place at Ezillo Regime Farm in Ishielu Local Regime Area is the first phase of Governor David Umahi‘s policy to involve every segment of the society in massive rice engenderment.

The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resource, Uchenna Orji, led the team comprising Agric Extension workers and officials of International Fund for Agricultural development (IFAD) to carry out the exercise on Saturday.
Orji, according to a verbalization on Monday by Emma Anya, the chief press secretary to the Governor, 140 hectares of land were allocated to the EXCO members for the cultivation of rice under the Multi-Purport Co-operative Society Ltd in line with IFAD requisite for co-operative system and  the CBN

The remaining 1,360 hectares were set aside for other cooperative societies and individuals that have already keyed into the policy  through the IFAD and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) – anchor borrowers programme.

Orji, who described the agric programme of the Umahi’s administration as all inclusive, verbalized tractors would be mobilised to the site immediately in line with the governor’s vision of massive rice engenderment for commercial quantity.

He integrated, “We do expect that through the Senior Special Assistant on rice engenderment, Itakpa Azobu, that latest by Monday, July 4, we will mobilize our tractors to peregrinate here. It is in line with governor’s vision that we should not only go into mechanization of farming, we should go commercial. We are going to express that this 2016 farming season.”

In an interview, the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Senator Emmanuel Onwe, verbalized it was EXCO’s decision that any individual of mature age, whether regime appointee or civil coadjutant,  must cultivate at least one or  two  hectares of land to boost agriculture in the state.

The Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Ebonyi State University, Prof. Folusho David, commended the agricultural policy and called on regime to perpetuate the sensitization of farmers in the area.

Other EXCO members who verbalized, were the SSA to the governor  on Rice Engenderment;  the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Obinna Nwachukwu, SSA on Infrastructure Maintenance, Hon.  Ali Odefa; Commissioner for Edification, Prof. John Eke, and Commissioner for Equity, Barr. Augustine Nwankwagu.

They verbalized EXCO was poised to demonstrate to the world that Ebonyi State was a rice engendering state.

Elizabeth Ogbaga,  the commissioner for Border Tranquility and Conflict Resolution, who verbalized on behalf of  the  female EXCO members,  verbally expressed tomatoes engenderment would be their major area of concern.