Charles Chukwuemeka Ugwuh, former Minister of Commerce and Industry, has said that the attainment of food security and agricultural growth in Imo state depends on the government ability to fully develop the state’s river valley.
Ugwuh who described Imo state as inherited by Governor Emeka Ihedioha as a failed state, proposed measures needed to be taken to ensure the state reap benefits from its enormous agricultural potential.
He gave the advice during his presentation on ‘Rebuilding Imo State and Growing her Economy’ at the inauguration of Heartland Professionals Network held recently in Owerri.
Ugwuh in his speech informed that in order to grow the agricultural sector of Imo state, much attention should be given to the development of the Imo River Valley.
“The Imo river valley is an available strip of land stretching from Ideato through Onuimo, Ihitte Uboma and further down through Mbaise (Itu, Eziudo, Umuogu, Ogbor) in Imo state and to Owerrinta in Abia State, we need to develop it to grow our agriculture,” he said.
“Our capacity to locally grow our own food and feed ourselves has declined to a worrisome level, where virtually all food crops consumed by Imo people are imported from other states,” he further said
“Since the short supply of available land is a major obstacle limiting our capacity to grow our food, in my view, the first step towards growing the agricultural sector of our economy, is the development of the Imo River Valley,” he added.
He stated that from the source to destination, the Imo River Valley occupies an estimated area of over 50,000 hectares of available/fertile land.
He called on the Governor Emeka Ihedioha to pay critical attention to the sector as he had promised the people of Imo to focus on agric during his campaign.
“In order to develop the agricultural sector, Governor Ihedioha explained during his campaign days that he would liaise with the Federal Government for the operation of FADAMA projects in the state.”
But Ugwuh who was one of the industrialists that formed part of the committee for industry and agriculture and developed a blue print with which the current government intends to work with, said that with the assistance of the Federal Government, two dams could be constructed on the Imo River Valley to ensure all the year round farming.
“Over 20,000 hectares of land can be sourced from the river valley in the first instance, and leased to private sector for massive mechanized cultivation of rice, maize, soya beans and other available crops in what can become a large cluster of farms linked to the Okigwe Silo project,” he said.
He pointed out that another area would be the revamping of the oil palm industry, which has suffered protracted neglect.
“Our government should facilitate and champion a campaign in the replacement of the old overgrown low-yield palm trees with moderns high-yield palm seedlings”, he said
Ugwuh further explained that for over a five year time, the State could be able to raise a huge raw material base of high-yielding palm trees capable of supporting and sustaining palm oil milling and vegetable oil production.
“The uprooted old overgrown palm trees could also be used as biomass for the production of particle boards and other by products,” he stated.
SABY ELEMBA, OWERRI
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