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•As ATASP-1 distributes 52 irrigation pumps to Enugu farmers
From Magnus Eze, Enugu
•Egba (middle) presenting water pump to farmer
Dry season farming is a priority of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme Phase One (ATASP-1). The programme on February 28 distributed no fewer than 52 water pumps for dry season irrigation farming to various clusters consisting of 5,104 farmers in Enugu State.
•Distribution of irrigation pumps
These clusters or farming cooperatives cut across four local government areas of Uzo-Uwani, Udenu, Isi-Uzo and Nkanu East of Enugu State, within the Adani and Omor farming zone.
State’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation, Patrick Ubru, who made the presentation in Enugu, said that the gesture was just the first step of ensuring that the State became the hub of food production in the country.
He said that the administration of Gov. Peter Mbah had resolved to support farmers and subsidize every effort to ensure food production and quality value-chain addition on farm produce in the state.
Ubru said: “More gestures to ensure you succeed are coming even as we are going to distribute inputs very soon and give real-time guidance and supervision to ensure you get it right.
“We want you to utilize all you have learnt in terms of good agronomy practices from ATASP for you to increase your yield this season as the state government has a target of one million metric tons of rice.
“So, we are looking at you people producing at least five tons per hectare of rice. As a state that has its own rice brand, we (state government) will off-take all you produce and process.
“For those producing improved maize variety, our poultry farmers are already waiting to buy any maize produced in the state and the headache of the market for your produce had been taken off you.”
He assured the farmers that the government would scale up land preparation by rolling out tractors in the state to make their farming easier and they cover more hectares or land mass.
“The state government through the initiative of our amiable governor will be providing you people with tractors that will improve your farming work, make it easier and make expansion highly possible.
“We have a talk-and-do-governor, who have taken the pain to already conclude arrangement of providing tactors to farmers in the state. Our tractors are on the way and will be available very soon,” Ubru said.
The Programme Coordinator, ATASP-1 Adani-Omor Staple Crops Implementation Zone, Speaking, Dr Romanus Egba, applauded the governor for paying the state’s counterpart fund for the programme.
“It is due to the state participating actively in the programme through counterpart fund payment, we are opportune to receive these water pumping machines and other beneficial gestures to come soon.
“So, ATASP-1 is packaging this dry seasoning farming with about 5,104 dry season farmers in Enugu State, who are into rice and maize production. It will be a farmer per hectare of farmland.
“We are also thanking His Excellency, agriculture-friendly Gov. Peter Mbah for putting huge support and subsidy in agriculture, its value-chain and entire food production exercise in the state,” Egba said.
The programme coordinator also admonished the farmers to ensure that they are active in the ATASP WhatsApp group platform to receive vital messages, get clear guidance, interact with other farmers, raise questions and complaints if need be.
He further said: “ATASP officials will actively monitor, supervise and guide the farmers through the WhatsApp group and practically visit the farms often. We will support the farmers and their various cluster groups to succeed.”
Egba explained that they encourage dry season faming because there is less pest during dry season.
He used the opportunity to reveal that work had been competed at the canal for the Ada Rice in Uzo-Uwani, saying: “We shall visit there next week, thereafter, we hope that in a matter of weeks, the Governor will come and commission it.”
Notable rice clusters such as Agaba Rice Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperatives Society, Ebenezer Farmers, Oganiru Farmers, Ogechi Rice Farms, Ofuobi Farmers and Ikedimma Farmers’ Cooperative were some of the beneficiaries.
A member of one of the cooperative societies, Titus Ugwu, said: “As a rice farmer, this solar-powered water pumping machine will give adequate irrigation to my rice farm and definitely lead to increase in yield and better harvest.”
Forty of the irrigation pumps distributed are solar-powered while the rest 12 are petrol-powered easy-to-use machines.
The programme, funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) is being implemented in seven states as the Bank’s contribution to agricultural development in Nigeria.
The Federal Government in partnership with the AfDB in 2015 launched the ATASP -1 with commodity value chain development alongside infrastructure development as some of its key components in four Staple Crop Processing Zones (SCPZs).
The four staple crop processing zones are Adani-Omor, in Enugu and Anambra States; Bida-Badeggi in Niger State, Kano-Jigawa and Sokoto-Kebbi, covering a total of 33 local government areas.
Specific objective of the project is to identify and promote science-based solutions for rice, sorghum and cassava value chains through technology production and distribution of quality seeds and planting materials strengthened by well-built seed systems.The target groups are smallholder farmers mainly youths and women trained by IITA, Ibadan, AfricaRice and ICRISAT along the value chains and assisted with improved technology to record good yield in their farms and product development skills.
