British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF), in collaboration with the Ebonyi State Fadama Coordinating Office, has launched the second phase of the Rice Enterprise Value-Chain Development Project. The event, which held at Ojiegbe Community in Izzi Local Government Council of the state, was in continuation of BATNF’s efforts geared towards poverty reduction and wealth creation through agricultural enterprise value-chain development.
In his opening remarks at the event, former Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Echiegu, on behalf of the Ojiegbe-Igbeagu Community and the state, expressed gratitude to BATNF for coming to the aid of the poor rice farmers in the community. He also commended the Foundation for the early commencement of the project, and reiterated the importance of the agricultural project intervention to the state.
Dr Echiegu, who bemoaned the dwindling revenue from the oil sector, noted that “the only hope for Nigerians is in agriculture.” He also recalled that when the first intervention was inaugurated in the state in 2008 by BATNF, he closely monitored the project from inception to its completion as the then state Commissioner for Agriculture. He observed that “The feedback received by the Ministry indicated that the three-year intervention has made a very positive impact on the beneficiaries, their families and the community.” He thanked the Foundation and appealed for replication of the intervention in other local councils in the state.
While giving an overview of the project, the Ebonyi State Fadama Project Coordinator, Dr. Cletus Nwakpu, said that the Foundation’s intervention in the state in the last eight years has been very impactful in empowering the beneficiaries through provision of grants, trainings and other incentives, which have been instrumental to members dealing with the challenges of poverty.
He further stated that the intervention addressed the myriad of challenges facing the farmers in the entire rice value-chain, which often resulted in low returns on investment and shunning of farming. He added that “The intervention of the Foundation has addressed the farmers’ problems, thus increasing rice yield, milled quality rice and returns on investment, which has greatly reduced poverty among the benefitting farmers in the state.”
Dr. Nwakpu stated further that the target beneficiaries were 30 members; indigent male and female farmers selected from Ndiegede, Nguji, Ogbodo, Ndiegu, Okwerike, Akpapfu and Ndunwanpfu villages of Ojiegbe-Igbeagu community. He added that the expected yield per hectare is six tons per farmer as against the present two tons anticipated from the beneficiaries who would adopt the recommended technologies under the project.
Abimbola Okoya, General Manager, BATN, who was represented by the Foundation’s Project Manager, Olusegun Adewole, described the launch of the second cycle of the project as a further demonstration of BATNF’s commitment to boosting the income of rural small holder rice farmers in the community. She stated that the farm inputs given to the farmers, which include improved rice seedlings, fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides, could be used to cultivate a hectare of land by each of them.
Chairman of Ojiegbe-Igbeagu Rice Farmers Enterprise, Elder Mathew Ede, thanked the Foundation for its timely intervention in raising the farmers’ productivity from its present subsistence state to a commercial level. He promised that they would make the Foundation proud by putting the materials into good use.
Other dignitaries present at the occasion were Director, National Orientation Agency, Ebonyi State, Dr. Emma Abba; General Manager, Community Social Development Programme, Ebonyi State; Dr. Peter Mbam; and Coordinator, Igbeagu Development Centre, Andrew Nkwuda.
