By Adadareporters
A diaspora Igbo group, Igbonine in Diaspora, Friday, charged governors of South-East states to revolutionise agriculture in the region.
The group was reacting to insinuations that there is the likelihood of food shortage in South East due to insecurity in some northern states and bad road networks.
The group’s president, Prof Marcel Ezenwoye, advised Igbo leaders to emulate the template of former Premier of Eastern Region, Dr Michael Ọkpara, to return the region to what made it among the fastest growing economies of the world at a time.
He said, “MI Ọkpara did not apply any rocket science. He simply made agriculture and industrialisation the mainstay of the region’s economy. Okpara adopted innovative technologies in crop science, animal husbandry and food processing aimed at creating value chains to ensure sustainability. Eastern Region, under Ọkpara, was self-sufficient in food production and sought markets for her agricultural products in other parts of the country and beyond.
“His era also revolutionised grains, particularly rice, which hitherto was exclusive to the rich, into a major staple of the region. He invested substantial resources in the expansion of rice production in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. By 1965, Abakaliki had become the main rice processing centre in Nigeria handling massive deliveries from rice cultivating communities from other regions.
“Also, in livestock development, Okpara concentrated on poultry farming and pig farming. By 1962, Eastern Nigeria was virtually self-sufficient in poultry meat with substantial surpluses of eggs leading to the government policy of one egg per person, per day.
“The time to revisit these legacies is now. Our continued dependence on food supplies from the North makes South East vulnerable. Ebonyi State has rice milling and fertiliser manufacturing plants. How operational are they? Can’t these governors come together to optimally make them serve the region?
“We have Ada Rice in Uzo-Uwani in Enugu State. It has the capacity of generating rice enough for exportation. It is dead. All the palm and cashew plantations established by Ọkpara in the region are being managed by monkeys.
“Anambra has fertile land for rice production, but how maximally has it been explored? We have waterways across these states. This can be enhanced for irrigation farming and fish production. Okpara replicated the same in Abia and Imo states.”
Prof Ezenwoye also said governments of the region have a lot to do to encourage private investments in the farming sector.
In his words, “Our governors have failed to secure our environment for farmers to thrive, and they collect security votes monthly. They allow herders to establish settlements, from where they destroy farms unhindered. Cases abound when our farmers fall victims to rape, torture and even killings. It is the duty of the government to protect them.
“Again, our governors have failed to provide fertilisers at subsidized rates. In the North, they have access to mechanised farming without stress. We don’t have such here. Our farmers operate lonely. Talk about easy access to farming grants; it is zero in the South East. Our roads are also bad. What about storage facilities? For the South East to avert the looming hunger, they must close ranks and assert themselves as visionary leaders as against the current waiting for federal allocations.”
