Speaker, Anambra State Assembly, Urges Youths To Embrace Agriculture
By Henry C. Anagboso
The Speaker, Anambra State House of Assembly, Mr. Somto Udeze, has enjoined the youth and people of Ogbaru to key into agricultural programme to benefit from government initiatives.
The speaker who made the call at a one-day meeting with Ogbaru farmers captioned, ‘’A Day With The Speaker’’, held at the Emmanuel Castle of Refuge, Atani, opposite St James Basilica, noted that the benefits can best be gotten through co-operatives.
He commended the state government’s interventions such as markets infrastructure, solar powered boreholes, and capacity building in various aspects, achieved through the agricultural Programmes like the International Fund for Agricultural Development Programme of Value Chain Development Programme IFAD-VCDP.
He intimated that all these have aided the livelihood of the Ogbaru farmers and Anambra farmers at large.
Udeze also commended the leadership of the cooperatives and the agricultural programmes like the VCDP for their initiatives in implementing the objectives of government and getting them to the grassroots.
The Speaker further reassured the farmers that the government is very keen about agriculture and with transformation on-going with researches and technology in agriculture, livelihood would improve, urging farmers to key in properly as this will help them benefit more from both the state and the federal government.
He emphasized on the ‘ugbo azu-uno’ initiative and urged them to make it a point of duty henceforth, to cultivate at least one particular crop in their various homes.
A traditional ruler, Igwe Azuka Ngoddy in a brief remark, advised the Ogbaru Farmers Association to strategize and consider having a farm market where all the farmers will come together and draw a roaster to have a particular day for a certain crop to market and find a way to regulate it.
The Igwe said this, will no doubt, boost the livelihood of the Ogbaru farmers and reduce loss of farm produce.
The Acting State Programme Coordinator, IFAD-VCDP, Dr. Deborah Onyefulu in her speech, commended the people of Ogbaru for acknowledging the Programme’s intervention both completed and on-going in their community and pledged that more will be coming with the support of the government.
Dr. Onyefulu highlighted some of the infrastructure sited in Ogbaru to include, Solar powered boreholes, Market stalls and stores with VIP toilets, land development, and Culverts, adding that the capacity of the farmers has been built to equip them on the knowledge of taking agriculture as a business.
Still at the event, the Chairman, Ogbaru Local Government Area, Mr Pascal Anieguna, urged Ogbaru farmers to imbibe the spirit of participation and involvement in government initiatives to enable them level up with other local government areas of the state.
Earlier, the President, Ogbaru Divisional Cooperative Council (DCC)/ Association of Ogbaru Cooperative Societies (AOCS), Mr. Francis Uyanneh in his address, highlighted some of the achievements of the cooperative through some agricultural Programmes like the IFAD-VCDP, Fadama, Small and Medium Enterprise of Nigeria, Abuja Chamber of Commerce Trainings and Food Health System Advisory to include, feeder road, land development, and market infrastructure capacity buildings.
Mr. Uyanneh, while explaining the essence of the meeting with Udeze which was to discuss way forward of Ogbaru farmers in respect of their needs, appealed to him to extend their prayers to the governor which include the extension of the VCDP Programme to accommodate other crops like maize, bitter leaf, cocoa yam, palm oil, poultry, fishery and plantain plantation as well as the payment of counterpart fund on which these agricultural programmes are attracted to enable farmers to benefit maximally.
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