Okwe Obi, Abuja
In a bid to meet food sufficiency across the country, the Federal Government, on Wednesday, said it is considering the purchase and supply of solar pumping machines to farmers.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, disclosed this when he received a delegation of EuroBase Limited in Abuja.
According to him, “the Federal Government would be interested in partnering with the company to provide solar pumping machines that are durable, affordable knowing fully well that most of our farmers are subsistence and poor farmers.”
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On his part, Managing Director, EuroBase Consult Don Ekesiobi noted that lack of access to energy constrain farmers from irrigation facilities which are imperative for agricultural need.
This is even as he noted that there “is a stress nexus that is (problems surrounding food, water and energy).”
He stressed that solar irrigation “seeks to address the entire cycle of problems within the stress nexus.
“Problems faced by farmers include the lack of infrastructure to access grid, inconsistent grid supply (power cuts), and coat grid supply (fuel poverty),” he added.