Maha Christopher
The Anambra State Government has announced plans to drive the industrialisation of agriculture as part of efforts to help farmers earn foreign exchange through commercial scale farming and export focused processing.
According to The Punch, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Ben Odoemena, disclosed this on Wednesday during the inauguration of Ideal Agro Allied Produce Limited, a tuber crop processing company located in Akwaeze, Anaocha Local Government Area.
The company, founded by businessman and industrialist Ikenna Okafor, is expected to process yams, cassava, potatoes and other tuber crops for export.
Speaking during the inauguration, Odoemena said the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo was shifting focus from subsistence farming to industrial scale agricultural production capable of generating wealth and boosting exports.
โWe will encourage farmers to farm on a commercial scale, and this would not only guarantee food sufficiency, but also earn farmers foreign exchange,โ the commissioner said.
He added that the establishment of processing plants would help tackle the persistent problem of post harvest losses, noting that farmers would no longer worry about unsold produce going to waste as crops could now be processed and exported.
Odoemena described the agro processing facility as a major step toward modernising agriculture in the state, stressing that the Soludo administration intends to support industries that add value to farm produce.
โIn Anambra, we want to support industries like this because the Soludo administration has plans to support industrialised farming. We have passed the period of planting, harvesting and eating. We want to start cultivating, eating and exporting to enrich ourselves,โ he stated.
The commissioner further explained that the government would continue backing agro processing companies capable of driving value addition, job creation and export opportunities for farmers across the state.
Chairman of Ideal Agro Allied Produce Limited, Okafor, said the company had already ventured into large scale yam cultivation on a 200 plot farmland in Ufuma and had begun earning foreign exchange through exports.
According to him, the company was established to reduce wastage of unsold farm produce while opening international market opportunities for local farmers.
Okafor also revealed that the company had secured approvals from food processing regulatory agencies in the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom and Nigeriaโs National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC.
โWe will process your yams, potatoes, cassava and other tuber crops and ensure that no part of your crop is wasted,โ he said.
He added that the initiative would not only support exports but also create employment opportunities for residents in the state.
