The Rivers State Government through the Ministry of Agriculture, has celebrated this year’s World Food Day on “Agricultural Cooperatives: key to Feeding the Nation”.
The event took place at Isaac Boro Park, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on the 16th of October, 2012. Presenting his address, Dr. Emmanuel Alex Hart, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Rivers State, enumerated the various contributions and commitment of the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, to increase Agricultural production in the state, through the Ministry of Agriculture in the state.
Alex Hart, used the medium to call on Rivers people, particularly the youths to form cooperative societies to better their living standards, adding that the day was also meant to honour hard work.
Delivering his speech, the Rivers State Governor, represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Emmanuel Chinda, stated that the yearly gathering for World Food Day, meant that the day was an important one.
He described the event as a day that farmers gather to showcase their farm produce and ponder on how much they have contributed to ensuring food security; adding that government expects to have feedback from farmers, having contributed its quota, through and by telling funding the farmers what it tends doing for them.
Hon. Chinda, cited the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA), the agency that is managing Songhai Farm, Banana Plantation Project in Khana, Buguma Fish Farm and the on-going farm projects at Andoni, Opobo and Oyigbo as some of the strides of government to ensure sustainable agricultural production in the state.
Resuscitation of RisonPalm and the payment of salaries and gratuities to workers and the provision of N350m to empower farmers in the state, were more of the contributions made by the Rivers State Government to boost agriculture and provide job opportunities for the people of Rivers State, according to the governor.
Some farmers were however rewarded in the category of: Best Cassava Farmers of the year 2012, Best Yam Farmers of the year, Best Live-Stock Farmers of the year, Best Fish Farmers of the year and Best Plantain Farmer of the year 2012.###
By: Blaise Elumezie
