Rivers In The Diversification Agenda

Prior to the discovery of oil in commercial quantity in 1958, agriculture was the primary occupation of the people of Rivers State. The abundance of palm oil and kernel which basically constituted the main revenue source of the country in the19th Century earned the state the name ‘Oil Rivers Protectorate’.
In a sample survey carried out by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, in 1983, about 40% of the rural inhabitants were said to be committed to farming. Ever since, agriculture had been an important branch of the economy of Rivers State, even as it remained the main source of livelihood for the rural people.
The place of agriculture in the state’s economy paved way for the creation of a parastatal within the Ministry of Agriculture in 1988, called Agricultural Development Programme (ADP). The functions of this body included among others; formulating and implementing programmes relating to agriculture as well as providing extension services to farmers in both rural and urban areas of the state.
At this point, Rivers State became one of the leading states in the production of yam, cassava, cocoyam, maize, rice and beans. The availability of about 39% (760,000 hectares) of the state’s total land mass, particularly in the upland area, made the cultivation of major cash crops such as; oil palm products, rubber, coconut, raffia palm and other crops like vegetables, melon, pineapples, mango, pepper, banana and plantain possible.
The fishing industry happened to be another thriving sector. Besides being lucrative, it was also a favorite pastime activity. With many artisanal fishermen in the riverine areas, and approximately 270 species of fish existing, the state provided valuable seafoods such as crabs, oysters, shrimps and sea snails among others.
One thus needs not be told that the state has large potential for agricultural production. Unfortunately, even with 39 percent of land suitable for cultivation agricultural productivity has continuously remained low probably due to low soil quality from oil spillage and leakage, or a perception among youth that agriculture is an unattractive means of employment.
However, in order to create an economic shift towards agriculture, in 2008 the then administration of the state implemented a replica of the Songhai International agricultural training center model first pioneered in Porto Novo, Benin.
The model of the Rivers Songhai Farm Initiative (RSFI) consisted of a centrally located agricultural training center with a working farm that provides opportunities for practical learning and agricultural tourism. It incorporates three main components to train farmers.
The model made provision for the followings; instruction on the concept of zero waste, whereby farm by-products would be used in other activities (e.g., manure to be used to fertilize crops), teaches farmers entrepreneurial skills and how to get more value from their primary products, and participants to have access to a network of satellite farms started by graduates of the program.
Given the provisions if the model, there were hopes that the RSFI’s specific goals if properly harnessed have got the potentials to diversify production in Rivers state beyond the oil industry, improve agriculture productivity, and reduce youth unrest by giving them better access to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
Located on a 314 hectare of farm land at Bunu in Tai local government area, SRFI, within its shortlived operational season, was prominent in broilers production, cassava processing, feed and rice milling, machines production, stabilised bricks production, free range poultry, plantain farming, pineapple, vegetable, cassava and moringa cultivation.
More units designed for future production at the centre include coconut, animal feeds, mango for chips and juice, orange for juice and input for animal processing and snail production.
With all these acquaintances the state had established with agriculture, one had expected that at the dawn of the diversification agenda of the current political leadership in the country, it would lead the committee of states whose agricultural flag are globally acknowledged.
This expectation was heightened in May 2016, when Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, personally called for sustained efforts to diversify the country’s economy following dwindling earnings from oil.
Governor Woke made the call at the Government House, Port Harcourt, during a visit by the Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Olusegun Awolowo, stating that the country can no longer depend solely on oil earnings.
He averred that his administration would partner with the NEPC to develop alternative sources of foreign exchange earnings for the state, noting that the present economic challenges facing the country suggests that states have to look inwards to survive.
Responding to an earlier call by the visitor for a development of the state’s agricultural sector to boost internally generated revenue, he signalled a willingness to collaborate with NEPC in the area of agriculture.
Four years down the line, Rivers residents still await the boom in agriculture, at least, to create employment, provide income and help curb emigration.

Sylvia ThankGod-Amadi