Commissioner Procures Fertiliser, Cassava Stems For Farmer

Save for the prompt intervention of the Rivers State Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon. Emmanuel Chindah, a farmer, Mr. Godwin Egba could have risked losing his chance of getting two bags of fertiliser and cassava stems on the occasion of the roll-out of the Growth Enhancement support (GES) scheme for cassava held in Ahoada, headquarter’s Ahoada East Local Government council of the state  recently.

Mr. Egba, a native of Ihuaba and a beneficiary of the scheme who was expected to pay the sum of N6,000 instead of N12,000 and get two bags of fertiliser and some Cassava stems said, “I don’t have that amount, I only have N2,000″.

But in a swift reaction, the Hon. Commissioner paid for Mr. Egba who was full of praises for the gesture from the Commissioner and later told newsmen that he was very happy as according to him, he could not explain in words how he came about the items without paying anything.

Said he; “I have not seen the man or known him before and I salute him very well”, adding that he has been a farmer for the past 30 years and promised to use the items judiciously to enhance his output with a promise to encourage other farmers to embrace the scheme.

While addressing the farmers, Hon. Chindah urged them to embrace the programme because government was ready to reverse the trend whereby farmers in the time past put too much effort on the land with very low output.

He said it was not out of place for the farmers to come up with bumper harvest as experienced in places like Taiwan and others explaining that it was for this reason that the government has come up with the provision of improved varieties of Cassava stems and fertiliser to adequately address the issues of low yield experienced by farmers in the state.

He explained that government was aware of the numerous varieties of Cassava in the various communities that go by different names and assured the farmers that the variety which the government was distributing could be described as “Ogbonge” he enthused.

Mr. Chindah explained that the variety was far more better than the previous ones the farmers have been planting over the years without good result.

According to him, the fertilizer application would help ensure that the various nutrients needed for proper growth and yield was enhanced and stressed the need for proper application in order to get the desired result.