Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Officials of Abia State Government have visited Edo State to understudy its agriculture initiatives with the aim of boosting the sector in her state.
The delegations was led by Prof Monica Ironkwe, the Abia State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security.
Ironkwe, who met with her Edo State counterpart, Hon Stephen Idehenre, said they were in Edo State to learn from its initiatives as well as to collaborate with the host with a bid to boost the sector.
The commissioner, who described Edo State as pacesetter in the agricultural sector, noted that they have much to gain from it.
According to her, our visit is aimed at studying and collaborating with Edo State to enhance agriculture production and agribusiness development.
She praised Edo State’s innovatives that have led to remarkable achievements in agriculture.
“Our discovery in Edo State was an exciting experience with valuable knowledge and insight gained”, she said.
While highlighting the challenges faced in the Agriculture sector in Abia State, she, however, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to gain insights from Edo State’s experiences.
On his part, Dr Cliff Agbaeze, Abia State Special Adviser on Agriculture to the Governor, expressed gratitude to the Edo State Government for the collaboration, emphasizing its significance in strengthening their approach to investing in various agriculture subsector and attracting credible investors to Abia State.
In his remarks, Stephen Idehenre, the Edo State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, who took his guest to the state’s Agriculture Hub in Benin City, noted that the visit is a testament of the agriculture revolution championed by the Governor Godwin Obaseki- led administration through its distinctive approaches.
Idehenre, noted that state government has done a lot in areas such as oil palm development and other crop and livestock intensification initiative.
He listed some models, policies, and strategies employed by Edo State’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
Others are the state’s commitment to four key principles which include technical excellence, financial capacity, social inclusion, and gender diversity.
The Commissioner also underscored Edo State’s strong belief in Public Private Partnership (PPP) and the enabling environment created for investors by Governor Godwin Obaseki.
He noted that the State has successfully attracted investors in cassava processing, with three companies currently processing cassava for starch and ethanol, amounting to over 2000 metric tons daily.
“The state is actively contributing to wealth creation for its citizens through empowerment programmes in the production of cashew, coconut, and maize”,he added.
He, however, expressed satisfaction with the collaboration, stating that it is a positive step for other states to study and replicate Edo State’s successful agricultural practices.