Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa on Monday during the marking of 2017 World Food Day in Asaba, revealed that his government is partnering with farmers in the state to commence export of plantain and garri flour to the United Kingdom very soon.
He noted that the state has a comparative advantage and ranked best within the country in the production of plantain and garri, a by-product of cassava.
It would be recalled that all the 70,000mts of yam, whose exports to UK and US were celebrated by the government were rejected in US on grounds of rot and in UK on grounds of overuse of pesticides.
Already, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh has set up a panel of enquiry to find out what transpired and vowed that Nigeria will continue to export yam to deepen diversification of the economy.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Tam Brisibe, the Governor said the theme of the Day, “Change the Future of Migration, Invest in Food Security and Rural Development, ” was in line with the state government’s agricultural empowerment programme.
According to him, the world in the last few years recorded great migration of people, particularly the youths, from the rural to urban centres in search of jobs, safety and security.
While stressing that he incident of migration had remained a global challenge and a threat to agriculture, Okowa noted that “Plans are at advanced stage to ensure that Delta joins agricultural crop exporters; we are looking at the possibility of exporting yellow and white garri and plantain flour to the UK”.
He said the state agricultural programme was tilted to the rural areas which had encouraged and empowered many youths, women and retirees in returning to farming.
“Seventy five per cent of the state population reside in the rural communities and this administration has put up programmes to develop youths and women through agricultural empowerment programmes.
“We are creating enabling environment for our rural farmers through rural electrification, water and beautification projects across the 25 Local Government Areas of the state.
“Rural-urban migration is a threat to food security and as the youths migrate to the urban centres they leave farming to the elderly and aged farmers in the rural areas; this is also a challenge to the urban centres.
“So, we must develop the rural areas to make migration to the urban less attractive and to invest in food security,” he said.
“The export programme will facilitate and improve agricultural production activities in the rural areas in respect of cassava production and plantain thereby reversing the trend of rural-urban migration,” the Governor stated.
In his remarks, the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Chief Austin Chikezie, said “Such practices include co-operative farming, cluster fish farming, cluster youths empowerment programme and promoting peaceful herdsmen-farmer’s meetings.
“This is vital to promoting peace in the community, reducing youth restiveness, creating jobs, increasing youth income and reducing rural-urban migration,” Chikezie said.
