Anambra to embark on mass rice production

The governor gave the assurance that his administration would  boost rice production in the state from the present 80,000 metric tons to 400,000 metric tons.Governor Obiano who made this known during the flag-off of the multi-billion naira Cache farm project, a commercial agricultural venture at Anaku, Ayamelum Local Government Area of the state, said the […]

The governor gave the assurance that his administration would  boost rice production in the state from the present 80,000 metric tons to 400,000 metric tons.
Governor Obiano who made this known during the flag-off of the multi-billion naira Cache farm project, a commercial agricultural venture at Anaku, Ayamelum Local Government Area of the state, said the government had commenced the distribution of 120,000 metric tons of high-yielding rice specie to farmers for this year’s planting season through their various cooperative societies which, he noted, would give the state over 300,000 metric tons of rice at harvest.
The agro industry is a joint venture of the state government and a private investor, COCHEDS, with a landmass of 2,500 hectares of rice and a production capacity of 120,000 metric tons per annum in the first phase.
The governor pointed out that the importance of the event could be understood after examining its projected impact on the lives of the people, adding, “this enterprise will generate about 1000 full-time and seasonal jobs for youths and women across the entire rice value chain.
“The farm is expected to produce 8,000 to 12,000 metric tons of paddy rice per annum with an expected income of N400 million to N600 million per annum from paddy when fully developed. At an estimated market value of N140,000 per metric ton of processed rice, the expected income will be between N784 million to N1.176 billion per annum when the production and processing infrastructure are fully developed. These estimates fall nicely into my campaign promise to Ndi-Anambra that we shall drive development through agriculture to create jobs, jobs, jobs, boost our domestic economy and shore up the revenue profile of the state,“ he said.
He said the state government has already made an initiative commitment of N300 million in the partnership and has structured the venture to benefit thecommunity, the state and the country.
Recalling that his administration’s focus on farming and agriculture targeted at three major crops -rice, maize and cassava – the governor said his administration decided to choose rice due to the availability of land with the suitable soil texture as well as the persuasion of some statistics which, he said, put Nigeria as the largest consumer of rice in the continent with six million metric tons of rice consumed annually by Nigerians.
According to him, half of the volume is imported while 2.8 million metric tons is produced locally, pointing out that “Nigeria spends about N365 billion on importing rice annually,an average of N1 billion per day.
The governor recalled that since its March 17 inception, his  administration has been “consumed by titanic effort to remake Anambra State, through  planting a tree of hope in the society and nurturing it with tenderness till harvest time.”
He said the commissioning of the Cache Farm Project was as a result of response from industrialists and entrepreneurs whom he held discussions with at a meeting of illustrious sons and daughters of the state, of whom Chief Cosmas Maduka, Chairman of Coscharis Group was one of those who resolved to support the wealth creation efforts with their ingenuity and finance and helped to facilitate the Cache Farm Project at Anaku.
While enjoining others to emulate Coscharis effort so that there would be many more similar investments in the agricultural sector, he disclosed that more major investors would soon be in the state to embark on commercial and mechanised agriculture in the various agricultural basins of the state which, he observed,would attract more agro-based industries with increased value benefits, wealth creation and employment opportunities.
He restated the focus of his administration to achieve some of its set targets for agriculture in the state, adding, “Anambra State should be among the top three states in agricultural production in Nigeria; That Anambra State should become number one in the production of rice, cassava and fish in the first four years of my administration; and that agriculture should contribute at least 40 percent to the GDP of Anambra State.”
According to him, the event was a step to inaugurate the first major initiative that would free Anambra State from the clutches of poverty and want and launch it into a new orbit of massive job creation and self-sufficiency in food production.
He urged Amaku community in the state to give total support and cooperation to ensure success of the venture as they would be the primary beneficiaries, warning that government would not tolerate any act that would threaten the progress of work.
The chairman of the company, Dr. Cosmas Maduka,commended the state government for endorsing the partnership and stated that the project at full operation would provide 500 direct jobs and 2,000 indirect jobs and would extend to other parts of the state.
Dr. Maduka observed that in addition to the rice farm, the project also has rice mill of 20 tons per hour capacity that would provide services to local farmers.
The member representing Ayamelum in the state House of Assembly, Hon. Gabriel Onyenwife, said the venture marked the beginning of commercial agriculture in the state.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Chief Nnamdi Mekoh, noted that the project was a breakthrough in transforming rural agriculture in line with basic principles of Governor Obiano’s development pillars.
Mekoh urged other communities to emulate the Anaku community in providing land for government agricultural programme.
Commenting, the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Inter-party and Political Matters, Chief Ben Obi, urged the people to close ranks with the present administration irrespective of party affiliation and give the governor total support to deliver his vision.
Chairman of Ayamelum Local Government Area, Mr. Paul Obiora, and a community leader, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka, said in separate remarks that agriculture holds a great promise for the future of the state and commended the governor for his bold initiatives to elevate it to a pride of place.