Imo Govt Set To Tackle Food Insecurity, Says Agric Commissioner

BY EMMANUEL CHUKWUMA, ENUGU

The Imo State Government has revealed that the citizenry and farmers are set to smile soon as they have perfected plans to address food insecurity and high price of food stuffs in the markets.

They also disclosed, that Governor Hope Uzodimma has taken proactive steps to reduce the challenges being faced by farmers in Imo and guarantee the availability of food in the markets for the people to eat.

Governor Hope Uzodimma

The Imo State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Chief Cosmas Madugba disclosed this while interacting with newsmen in Owerri, the capital of Imo State.

Imo State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Chief Cosmas Madugba

The Commissioner highlighted that when food items are available in the markets, their prices would definitely come down irrespective of the removal of the fuel subsidy which he noted, might have polarized the economy, including agriculture as part of the issues at stake.

“We are concerned as citizens and as leaders. We have met with some groups of farmers in the State and ready to provide certain materials they require in order to achieve bigger yields in their produce”.

He disclosed that Governor Uzodimma, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, has procured over Fifteen Thousand (15,000) bags of maize, free of charge, for Imo workers which the Commissioner said would cost #1 Billion naira, adding that the distribution has been ongoing for the past two weeks.

“Imo State is also providing bags of fertilizer, insecticides, herbicides and other farm implements that would reduce their pains and encourage them to take farming seriously.

He continued, “We know their predicaments and government is not taking it lightly. We are ready to support them”, he submitted.

Chief Madugba noted that the present administration has taken agriculture as as business, advising those in the sector to be proud of themselves and that government was willing to provide their needs.

The Commissioner used the opportunity to disclose plan to have a comprehensive meetings with members of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, (AFAN), Imo State Chapter, wherein, he will have an interface with the commodity Heads of Rice, Cassava, Maize, Yam and others and that he is also set to give them an idea of what government has in mind.

“There are lots of things the government is doing. Through the “Imo-Cares”, our Ministry has constructed roads in the rural areas, gave out agro inputs to farmers, built toilets and bathrooms in markets and others”.

Chief Madugba also called on Imo farmers to be honest and make sure they make judicious use of the implements made available to them by the State government.

The two-time Agriculture Commissioner used the medium to express joy over Governor Uzodimma’s victory at the Court, attributing the outcome to Governor Uzodimma’s good works and urged those who could not make it now to wait for other time.

“I’m happy that the Court has confirmed what His Excellency, Distinguished Sen. Hope Uzodimma worked hard to achieve. He won outrightly in all the 27 LGAs”.

Chief Madugba advised the aggrieved candidates to wait for another opportunity while urging them to stop distracting the Governor whom he said has done well in the areas of Agriculture, Health, Works, Youths Empowerment, Roads rehabilitation, Human- capacity and Infrastructural developments.