Oborevwori To Release N2bn Special Agricultural Intervention Fund To Boost Food Production In Delta

…pledges sustainable agriculture reforms

Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Wednesday, said his administration would this month disburse N2 billion Special Agricultural Intervention Fund to improve on the agricultural value chain to ensure food security and job creation in the state.

Governor Oborevwori disclosed this while speaking to journalists after inspecting the Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme (AADS) at Mbiri Farm Settlement with 30 greenhouses for the cultivation of tomatoes and other vegetables, and the Agro-Industrial Park, Aboh-Ogwashi for rice milling and others, in Ika North-East and Aniocha South local government areas, respectively.

According to him, “If you go through my MORE agenda, I said that there is going to be sustainable agriculture sector reforms. I also said that the agricultural value chain will be sustained.

“And seeing what the immediate past administration has done here, it gladdens my heart. The Honourable Commissioner for Agriculture has briefed me that we have this kind of farm settlement in the three senatorial districts.

“We are going to support them because we have N2 billion Special Agricultural Intervention Fund and we will disburse that money within this month”.

On the state of the access road to the farm settlement, Governor Oborevwori said: “We will work with the Ministry of Works to see how we will manage this road to enable us take these produce out.

“I asked a question on how many tonnes of tomatoes we can get in each of the green houses and I was told that it’s about three tonnes. So, you see that out of the thirty green houses we have here, eleven are already cultivated and that will give us about thirty-three tonnes.

“You see, our people go to the North to get tomatoes and this place has been existing for some decades now. So, this farm settlement is a very good choice to do this green house planting for the production of tomatoes and other vegetables.

“People erroneously think that we are an oil- producing state and so we can depend on only the oil. No, we cannot depend on oil alone.

“With the removal of oil subsidy, we should also encourage our people to go into farming because it will help us. Food security is very important. Our people consume alot: so, we must make food available and that’s why I have come here”.

At the Agro-Industrial Park, Aboh-Ogwashi, where rice would be milled, Governor Oborevwori said that aside road construction, his administration would also concentrate on other key infrastructures aimed at boosting food security and job creation for the people.

He added that his administration would work with the project Consultant to ensure its prompt completion for the benefit of the state and country.

The State Commissioner for Agricultural Development, Mr. Perez Omoun, had said under the Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme, AADS, the State Government had established three greenhouse farms at Mbiri, Kpakiama and Deghele.

Welcoming the Governor earlier, the Obi of Mbiri Kingdom, HRM Obi Ifeanyichukwu Alekwe II, commended Governor Oborevwori for personally coming to visit the community and appealed for the construction of the farm settlement road and for the establishment of a College of Agriculture in the community.