Anambra State government on Wednesday revealed its vision to industrialize agricultural practices in the state and enable farmers to earn foreign exchange for their farm produce.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon Ben Odoemena, stated this on Wednesday during the inauguration of Ideal Agro Allied Produce Limited, a tuber crop processing company situated in Akwaeze, Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, and founded by famous industrialist and businessman, Chief Ikenna Okafor.
Odoemena said the administration of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo will support farmers in engaging in industrial-scale farming rather than subsistence farming, which only produces for consumption.
He said: “We’ll encourage farmers to farm in commercial scale, and this would not only guarantee food sufficiency, but also earn farmers foreign exchange. With the establishment of a tuber crop processing plant, there would be no fear of unsold farm produce rotting away, but it would be processed and exported.
“I’m happy that my first assignment after swearing is the inauguration of an agro-processing plant that will ensure zero wastage in tuber crops. What we have here is the secret of agriculture in civilized climes.
“In Anambra, we want to support industries like this because the Soludo administration has plans to support industrialized farming. We have passed the period of planting, harvesting, and eating. We want to start cultivating, eating, and exporting to enrich ourselves.
“We want industries like this to drive agriculture and support what we intend to do in agriculture, because if you harvest and no one buys them, it will be a waste. But this company has made it easy for us to talk about the industrialization of agriculture. This is part of the things Anambra will invest in, and we will support businessmen like this.
“The technology this company has will help to ensure that your products are processed and exported for you, so that you can earn foreign exchange for your product.”
Earlier, the Chairman of Ideal Agro Allied Produce Limited, Chief Ikenna Okafor, stressed that food security is paramount for any society to succeed, adding that his company recently ventured into large-scale yam cultivation on a 200-plot farm in Ufuma and has been earning foreign exchange from its produce.
He said the motivation for establishing the tuber crop processing plant company was to ensure zero wastage of unsold farm produce, adding that the company will process unsold tuber crops for farmers to prevent spoilage, package them for export, and remit proceeds to farmers after deducting its processing and handling charges.
“We have gotten the approval of food processing agencies in America, Europe, the United Kingdom, and also NAFDAC in Nigeria. We will process your yams, potatoes, cassava, and other tuber crops and will ensure that no part of your crop is wasted. We want to use this to create employment, and also help our farmers export their produce to earn,” Okafor noted.
The inauguration was attended by different farmers’ groups across Anambra State, including government officials who inspected the various processing machines paraded by the company. The Director of the company, Dr. Esther Okafor, described the initiative as novel, while praising the chairman for his knack for new discoveries.
