The Anambra State Government says industrialised agriculture will not only guarantee food sufficiency but also create opportunities for export and foreign exchange earnings for farmers in the state.
Mr Ben Odoemena, the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, stated this on Wednesday during the inauguration of Ideal Agro Allied Produce Limited.
The tuber crop processing company located in Akwaeze, Anaocha Local Government Area of the state, was founded by an industrialist, Mr Ikenna Okafor.
Odoemena said the administration of Gov. Chukwuma Soludo was committed to supporting farmers to embrace commercial and industrial-scale farming rather than subsistence agriculture.
According to him, the establishment of the tuber crop processing plant would eliminate the fear of post-harvest losses and create export opportunities for farmers.
“With the establishment of a tuber crop processing plant, there will no longer be fear of unsold produce rotting away because such produce can now be processed and exported,” he said.
The commissioner described the processing plant as a major step toward reducing post-harvest losses and promoting value addition in agriculture.
“I am happy that my first assignment after swearing-in is the inauguration of an agro-processing plant that will ensure zero wastage in tuber crops.
“What we have here reflects the secret of agriculture in developed economies.
” In Anambra, we want to support industries like this because the Soludo administration has plans to support industrialised farming,” he said.
Farming Beyond Consumption
Odoemena said the state had moved beyond farming merely for consumption and was now focused on cultivating, processing and exporting agricultural products to create wealth.
He added that the government would continue to support agro-processing industries capable of driving agricultural transformation in the state.
Earlier, the Chairman of Ideal Agro Allied Produce Limited, Okafor, said food security remained critical to the success of any society.
Okafor disclosed that his company recently ventured into large-scale yam cultivation on a 200-plot farmland in Ufuma in Orumba North and had already begun earning foreign exchange from the venture.
Eliminating Wastage of unsold Farm Produce.
He said the motivation for establishing the tuber crop processing plant was to eliminate wastage of unsold farm produce.
According to him, the company will process unsold yams, potatoes, cassava and other tuber crops for farmers.
“They will be package them for export and remit proceeds to the farmers after deducting processing and handling charges.
“We have secured approvals from food processing agencies in America, Europe and the United Kingdom, as well as the NAFDAC, in Nigeria.
“Farmers’ produce will be processed and we will ensure that no part of their crops is wasted.
“This initiative is to create employment opportunities and help farmers export their produce,” he said.
