In a bid to address the poor attention giving to farmers by the past administrations of the state, the hard working governor of Imo State, His Excellency, Senator Hope Uzodinma has aproved huge amount to support farmers and boost food production in the state and to also reduce the food inflation crisis in Imo State.
This is inline with his campaign promises as contained in his 3R agricultural transformation programme.
The Executive Governor of Imo State has declared a state of emergency on food security and unveiled a series of immediate interventions aimed at ensuring food availability and affordability for all citizens.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Chief Ezekiel Chukwukere, the Chief Strategist and BoT member of Hope Farmers and Environmental Movement commends His Excellency Dist. Senator Hope Uzodinma for outlining the details of his government intervention on food security, farmers empowerment and sustainability.
Recognising the impact of soaring food prices on ordinary Imolites, the governor has prioritized the support of the most vulnerable members of society said, Chukwukere.
The intervention is the Governor’s human capacity development and immediate response to the rising cost of food in the land and this gesture will immensely contribute to boosting food security and supporting smallholder farmers in the state.
To combat the food crisis is a collective effort and we need to work in harmony with the state government to achieve the set goals of the administration addressing the food crisis in the state both short-term and long-term interventions.
Ogbuhereuzo as popularly called state, His Excellency Hope Uzodinma is a man of his word, he is a visionary leader, his good works are there as eloquent testimony of his infrastructural development programmes
He is not unmindful of the rising cost of food and how it affects the citizens. He knows that farmers are suffering that is why he approved huge amount as intervention funds for agrobusiness development.
“As a direct and immediate response to this crisis, a number of initiatives will be deployed in the coming weeks to reverse this inflationary trend and guarantee future uninterrupted supplies of affordable foods to ordinary Imolites.
Inline with the presidential order the federal government plans to allocate funds previously saved from fuel subsidy removal to revamp the agricultural sector, focusing on increasing productivity.
The federal and state government is about to unveil the immediate intervention strategies, which includes immediately release of fertilizers and grains to farmers and households to mitigate the effects of the subsidy removal.”
Additionally, the Ministry of education,Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources will work together to ensure adequate irrigation of farmlands, facilitating year-round food production and eliminating seasonal farming in all schools in IMO State.
To stabilize food prices, the National Commodity Board will be established, consisting of various stakeholders from the agricultural sector.
This board will continuously assess food prices and maintain a strategic food reserve, acting as a price stabilizing mechanism for critical grains and other food items.
Ensuring the safety of farmers and farmlands is a priority, and the government will collaborate with the security architecture to protect them from attacks, enabling them to carry out their work without fear.
The Central Bank will continue to play a significant role in funding the agricultural value chain , while land banks will be activated to increase the availability of arable land for farming.
He said mechanization companies will be engaged to clear more lands in all schools forests and make them suitable for farming purposes.
In addition, the river basins will be utilized to enable crop planting during the dry season through irrigation schemes, ensuring continuous farming production throughout the year and addressing seasonal scarcity.
Also transportation and storage challenges will be addressed by exploring alternative means of transportation, such as rail and water transport, to reduce freight costs.
Existing warehouses and storage facilities will be revamped to improve efficiency and minimize food waste.
We can save more money and generate huge revenue for the state government by installing storage facilities in most major markets within the state, with the aim of reducing the huge wastage of foods, fruits and vegetables in our major markets.
The interventions put forth by the state Government aim not only to ensure food security but also to stimulate the export capacity of the agricultural sector, increasing revenue and creating employment opportunities.
The Nigerian Customs has pledged to remove bottlenecks related to trade facilitation, enabling smoother transportation, storage, and export of food items.
During the meeting, the Stakeholders shall define the significance of these interventions, and “One of the major positive outcomes of these interventions will be a massive boost in employment and job creation.”
With agriculture already accounting for about 35.21 percent of employment in Nigeria, the government aims to double this percentage in the long term, creating between 5000 to 10,000 more jobs within the agricultural value chain.
Governor Hope Uzodinma's administration recognizes the vital role of food in the well-being of Imo citizens and we want to urges all teachers and citizens of the state to support the success of these strategic interventions.
The government remains committed to ensuring that no household struggles with their essential needs, as Governor Hope works diligently.
0 Comments