… As C’River awards N1.16bn banana farm contract
The Presidential Amnesty Programme office said on Sunday that it has deployed 500 ex-agitators from the Niger Delta region for training and empowerment in Edo College of Agriculture.
The Coordinator and Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd), disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He said the beneficiaries’ empowerment was key to attaining meaningful development in the Niger Delta region.
According to the Coordinator, the programme was focusing more on agriculture because it was more effective than other sectors in reducing poverty.
He said the programme saw agriculture to be more meaningful than being part of a proven solution in developing the region.
The Presidential aide said agriculture could be a gold mine for young entrepreneurs.
“Agricultural research needs young brainpower, the trend and numbers of youth choosing agriculture is growing,“he said.
Boroh noted that agriculture has a brilliant role in every life and it is also important as a source of livelihood in all parts of the world.
He said before industrial revolution, agriculture was the primary source of the economy for most countries including Nigeria.
According to Boroh, most countries were also dependent on agriculture in one way or other to boost their economy.
Meanwhile, the Cross River State Government says that it has awarded N1.16 billion contract for the commencement of work on a model banana farm project in Akamkpa town of Akamkpa Local Government Area.
Prof. Anthony Eneji, state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Calabar.
Eneji said that the contract was the first phase, adding that work would commence on a 100 hectares out of the 250 hectares of land allocated for the project in the state.
He said that already, the contractor had been mobilised to sight for the first phase of the project.
According him, the second phase will start in Boki Local Government Area.
“The farm will grow different species of banana, and thereafter, turn them into finished products such as fruit juice, banana sweets, chips and so on,” he said.