Anambra State will partake in the 174.85 million Dollars agricultural project sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the African Development Bank; meaning about 1.6 billion Naira would be expended on agricultural programme activities in the state.

Anambra State qualified for the project due to the state government’s commitment to rice and cassava production in the last one year.

The leader of a delegation from the Ministry that met with officials of the Anambra State government, Mr. Akwashiki Haruna, told reporters that the benefits of the project were; job creation for 200 youths while 5,060 youths in the State would be trained aside rehabilitation of some amenities in the project’s host communities.

Other benefits, according to Mr. Haruna, were the construction and rehabilitation of a five-kilometre irrigation dam, 80 kilometres of feeder road, boreholes, rehabilitation of primary schools and markets in the areas among others.

Governor Willie Obiano while receiving the delegation from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture under the aegis of Agricultural Development Transformation Support Group, in Awka, expressed high hopes that the support would complement what the state was already doing in agriculture.

The governor further said that the state, especially in rice production, had covered up the gap between rice consumption and production by 50 per cent within one year.

Governor Obiano explained to the delegation what his administration had been doing in Agriculture, which he said almost $700 million had been injected into agriculture and over $200 million had been invested in rice production through the help of investors, thus making a head way in rice production within a space of one year.

According to Governor Obiano, agriculture would help ameliorate hunger and poverty while providing jobs for the teeming youths of the state.

To keep the vision of achieving food sufficiency in the state, the State Government had procured presently 102 tractors for the mechanised farming to be fully in operation while distribution of improved seedlings and stalks had continued since last year. (Channels TV)

•Photo shows Gov. Obiano.

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