A South-eastern state in Nigeria seems to be leading in the diversification of the Nigerian economy as advocated by President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
Anambra State government has hit a milestone in rice production as some businessmen have decided to patronize the state with millions of naira staked on the deal.
According to a business report on Daily Sun, Anambra State government’s investment in agriculture has started yielding results as the state has received order from some businessmen to supply N300 million worth of rice.
Commissioner for Agriculture, Mechanisation and Export, Mr. Afam Mbanefo, who disclosed this yesterday said the development had shown that the state was on course in its efforts to make the state the biggest producer of rice in Nigeria
Mbanefo, who spoke at the flag off of disbursement of inputs to FADAMA rice farmers in Awka, the state capital, noted that with such orders coming, rice farmers must work harder to increase their yield and assured of state government’s preparedness to give the necessary support to achieve the desired objective.
About 2, 270 farmers from over 100 clusters in various parts of the state were given input vouchers that would cover fertiliser, chemicals, seeds, among other needs, which was 50 per cent of the required input for the farming season.
The affected farmers, according to FADAMA officials, were expected to provide the balance of 50 per cent. He said the expectation of Governor Willie Obiano was to export Anambra rice to Europe in the near future.