Governor Willie Obiano Flags Off 2018 Farming Season

HARRISON MADUBUEZE

The Executive Governor of Anambra State, His Excellency, Chief Willie M. Obiano today flagged off the 2018 farming season.

The event was graced by community leaders of Ogbaru Local Government Area and the 21 Local Governments in Anambra State.

The 2018 flag off had in attendance, Agro Foreign Investors, numerous registered farmers organization comprising of Agro Off-takers across the 21 Local Governments of Anambra State.

The organizations included:

~ Value Chain Agricultural Development Program of International Fund for Agricultural Development, Rome – IFAD -VCDP.

~ Anambra State Agricultural Development Program – ASADEP.

~ Anambra State FADAMA III Additional Financing.

~ Seed Multiplication Centre, Umumbo Managed by Zee Seed Nig. Ltd.

~ FGN/IFAD Assisted Rural Finance Institution Building Program – RUFIN Program Goals.

~ abx World Agro-Allied Solutions, Anambra State Government.

~ SASAKAWA Global 2000.

~ IFAD OCECEC Global Concern (A Certified Input Service Provider)

~ Indoroma Fertilizer.

~ Agricultural Transformation Support Program, Phase One (Specialized in Casava Value Chain)

~ The Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending – NISRAL

~ The Udoka Rice Processing Group assisted by FGN/IFAD.

~ JOSAN Integrated Farms and Mills.

~ Grafil Group Nig. Ltd

~ Tiger Foods Nig. Ltd and so many others.

The representative of the Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Nnamdi Ibezim, keenly expressed concern that the what was happening in Anambra State especially in the area of Agriculture, was quite commendable noting that they were in line with the wishes of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture towards ensuring food sustainability across in Nigeria at large.

The representative of the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. C.M. Sokari, in an overwhelming manner, extolled the giant strides of Governor Willie Obiano in Agriculture. He noted that the event of today was yet another milestone in Agriculture in Nigeria and promised that the Central Bank of Nigeria shall continue to support the policies and programmes of Anambra State especially in Agriculture.

The Anambra State Hon. Commissioner for Agriculture Hon. Afam Mbanefo explained that, between 2016 – 2018, that a total of 33,900 farmers and Cooperatives had been registered. In 2018 alone, a total of 109,137 farmers organisations have been registered and 2,836 Cooperatives. He explained that all the registered organisations were willing to key into the 2018 agenda of the Ministry of Agriculture which were targeted at ensuring that farmers can now use their farm lands to obtain loans from banks.