IFAD seeks equal attention on rice for cassava production in Ebonyi

The International Fund for Agricultural Development has urged the Ebonyi State Government to extend the attention given to rice to cassava production and processing.
Its National Programme Coordinator, Dr. Ameh Onoja, gave the advice at Ndieruku-Izzi during the IFAD-Value Chain Development Programme 4th Supervision Mission to Ebonyi State.
Onoja said that the programme focused on rice and cassava as the state government placed priority attention on rice production.
Onoja said: “This is due to its comparative advantage on rice production and IFAD has to align with that priority as stipulated in our provisions.
“We should, however, note that apart from rice, the government can earn resources from cassava because many farmers in the state are engaged in its production.
“These farmers have to be encouraged like the rice farmers to enable them to benefit from the various interventions and programmes available to them.
“Equal emphasis on cassava would assist in developing our rice and cassava value chain processes while ensuring food security in the state and country.”
The coordinator also urged the government to sustain and expedite its ‘rice off-taking’ role to farmers as most of them had started harvesting.
Onoja, who advised the government to pick the produce from the farmers at the prevailing market price, reasoned that farmers might not agree to sell below the current market price.
He said: “The government should also allow private off-takers to participate in the value chain process because the field is wide and can accommodate all.”
The leader of the mission noted that rice farmers in Ebonyi had increased their production capacities with the production of between 3.5 tonnes and 5.3 tonnes as against the previous 2.5 tonnes.
Onoja stated: “There should, however, be enhancement in the linkage between the farmers and off-takers to improve the rice production, processing and marketing chain.
“The project has enjoyed tremendous state government’s support but we note that 2016 counterpart fund of N87 million has not been offset by the government.
“The farmers have shown great enthusiasm to pay their counterpart funds with some pledging to pay immediately if required unlike what is obtained in other participating states.”
The Special Technical Adviser to the Minister of Agriculture on International Donor Agencies, Appeh Auta, said that the Federal Government was assisting the farmers with mechanised equipment such as ripper and threshers, among others.
Auta said: “The Federal Government is impressed with states such as Ebonyi which made its plan of conducting three rounds of farming sessions in a year instead of the wet and dry season farming.’’
The IFAD Programme Coordinator in Ebonyi State, Sunday Ituma, noted that the supervision was conducted twice in a year.
Jane Nkwuda, a rice cluster member from Ikwo, thanked the supervision mission for the visit.
The mission visited rice clusters and farms at Ekpomaka, Omege in Ikwo and Ndieruku in Izzi.