Anambra govt sends emissary to Eagle Farm, promises to boost agric

Anambra State governor, Chief Willie Obiano has reinstated the desire of his administration to provide farmers with adequate support to enhance agricultural productivity in the state.
The governor, who chose Agriculture development as one of the four pillars of development and a top priority of his administration, made this known when he visited Eagle Food Processing Industry at Umuchu in Aguata Local government Area of the state recently.
Governor Obiano, who was represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon Afam Mbanefo, said that the visit was to look at the situation on ground at Eagle Food, a National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) Award winning farm which is a leading mega farms in the state with over 300 employees.
He observed that the situation at the Umuchu farm was wonderful and quite impressive by all standard.
Hon Mbanefo who was conducted round the farm by top officials of the company led by the Managing Director, Prince Ugochukwu Okpalaeke, said that he was impressed to see that Eagle Food has a huge poultry farm with hundreds of thousands of birds, a functional mill and other sections like piggery, fishery, cattle rearing, palm produce processing plant, cultivation of yam, cassava, maize, vegetable plants, banana plantation, among others.
He said that the Obiano administration has since its inception last year intensified massive campaign for the people, particularly the youths to embrace agriculture as a measure to reduce unemployment and also enhance food security in the state, adding that the visit to the Umuchu Farm was part of the efforts being made by Governor Obiano to support famers and propel interest into Agriculture among the people in the state.
Maintaining that the farm was great and amazing, he observed that the facilities, stock and huge products of the Umuchu Farm carry the message of what the state government wishes to achieve with farmers in the state, noting that the governor would certainly be happy and proud with the news about Eagle Food when the report is presented to him.
The commissioner commended the management of the NPOM winning farm and assured that having come to see things there, efforts should be made by his office to see that government attends to some teething problems of the farm, adding also that the government would see how to take advantage of the huge facilities in the farm as well as the wealth of experience of the managing director to assist young farmers in the state.
Speaking, Prince Okpalaeke who commended the governor for the visit, gave a brief history of the Farm, echoing that it was commissioned in the late ‘80s by the then governor of old Anambra State, the late Group Captain Emeka Omeruah, adding that the farm boasts of massive experience of over 30 years of operating a poultry, processing of palm produce, cultivation of yam, cassava, maize, vegetable plant, banana plantation, cattle rearing, piggery and fishery business, among others.
He lamented that the Farm could have gone into vegetable refinery, frozen chicken, fish and pock meat if there was enough support from government  pointing out that the farm has enough capacity and experience to go into refining oil and frozen products if it was helped in the area of sourcing  fund for the farm.
“We have a palm produce processing plant already and all we need to transit into refining vegetable oil is fund to procure some equipment, that is why we are seeking the attention of our governor, His Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano,  to come to our aid and bail us out with a source than can guarantee us soft loan to take off the refinery, the project can accommodate not less than 200 employees when it takes off,” he said.
He also said that the farm needs more help in the areas of procuring tractors to enhance cultivation works plus egg hashing machine, adding that like every other industry in the country, Eagle Food was heavily suffering from poor power supply as the farm consumes not less than four drums of gas daily.
“We are spending a lot of money on gas and sometimes we find it difficult to cope, so if government can improve on power supply our business will definitely improve”, he assured.
The Anambra leading farmer said that the people of the state were lucky enough to have a governor who is so passionate about development of Agriculture and called on the good people of the state to take advantage of the governor’s interest to buy into the business of farming and endeavour to start off even on a small scale measure.
“I started with 50 birds in 198”, He said that the management of Eagle Food was very appreciative of the governor’s visit to Umuchu.



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