December 22, 2024 - 06:53 PM Africa/Lagos
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/12/us-firm-seeks-to-mechanized-agriculture-in-enugu/
Enugu State Government has expressed its readiness to support American investors seeking to mechanize agriculture in the state.
Professor Ebere Onyia, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), stated this when he played host to a delegation of Praxis Africa, a United States of America-based company and its Nigerian partners, IAEGO Agro Ventures, at the Government House, Enugu.
Onyia said that the investors could not have come at a better time as the state government was doing a lot in the area of bankable projects across various sectors of the state’s economy.
“We are looking at investing massively in agriculture across the value chain and we want to do that in large clusters. And this will be in the areas we have comparative advantage. So, we are hoping that through what you are doing with IAEGO, we will be able to upscale agriculture in the state”, Onyia said adding that “this is a serious government. We believe that whatever we can do to support you from the thought process to the actual execution, will be done. We believe that this will be good for the business perspective and in the interest of the good people of Enugu State.”
Speaking at the occasion, Igwe Ifeanyi Ogbu, the traditional ruler of Nara Unateze and Chairman, IAEGO Agro Ventures, told the SSG that Praxis Africa in collaboration with their organisation, was currently exploring ways to jointly boost agriculture in the state by investing massively in mechanization and funding of farm activities across the 17 local government areas of the state.
Prior to the Government House event, the monarch had at a reception in honour of the visiting Founder/President of Praxis Africa, Dr. Delore Zimmerman, disclosed that his community, Nara Unateze, will be used as the pilot location for the investment. He noted that it would eventually spread to other neighbouring communities from where it would move to the entire local government areas of state and beyond.
”So, Enugu State will benefit tremendously. We are starting with Nara as the pilot area, and we will move to all 17 local government areas in Enugu State and the entire country. We already have over 25,000 hectares from which we can work. We are also going to talk to other communities around Nara, like Ihuokpara, Igboaka, Amagunze, and anywhere we can get land.
The key areas where Praxis Africa through IAEGO would come in, Igwe said, “will have a tremendous impact on agriculture in Enugu State. We are going to bring equipment that will enable farmers to hire, work, and be able to be productive. That is the mechanisation that we are praying for, and that is what we hope will eventually take place.”
Igwe Ogbu said his company specifically attended a trade fair in North Dakota, USA, in its bid to attract Praxis Africa having known that Governor Peter Mbah was inclined to prioritising agriculture. “So, when the trade fair came up, we were there to represent Enugu State and Nara Unateze in particular. This is the result of that move. The investors are here now, and this particular company has representatives in almost all of West Africa.”
Dr. Zimmerman, who spoke on the areas his company will be investing in, was upbeat that the partnership will yield tremendous results that will turn around the agricultural fortunes of Enugu State and Nigeria as a whole.
“We are working with our partners here, IAEGO Agro Ventures. We are going to be bringing more mechanisation to agriculture and more funding. Our company, Praxis Africa, started in Ghana in 2009, and we are also in Liberia. We are in Rwanda and Tanzania. We are just coming into Nigeria, and it’s all about agriculture”, he said.
He further said that his firm is seeking “to help modernise agriculture in any way we can. I’m confident that the farmers here are capable of doing remarkable work. Therefore, we will help in any way we can. We have some cassava and maize, and those are the two that we are going to focus on. We have grown vegetables in Liberia and Ghana. For palm oil, we have not done so much, but I’m familiar with palm oil,” Dr. Zimmerman said.
In his remarks, Enugu State Commissioner for Agriculture, Chief Patrick Ugwu, said that the move by the investors aligns perfectly with the agricultural policies of Governor Peter Mba administration. He assured that the government will fully cooperate with IAEGO AGRO in the interest of Enugu farmers. “For us, it is a welcome development that through His Royal Highness Igwe Ifeanyi Ogbu, we are paying host to Dr. Dalore from Praxis Africa.”
Mr. Kelvin Eya, a farmer who spoke excitedly about the prospects of the investment said that mechanization will help address all the challenges that have hindered massive output despite enormous work done by workers.
”We have skills, we are professionals in all aspects of farming but the issue is mechanization. Money to buy tractors or harvesters for our rice. What a human being will do in three days, a machine will do it in a matter of minutes. We need bulldozers for land clearing, tractors, combined harvesters, harrowers, land tillers, rice polishers and so on,” the farmer said.
After the inspection tour of the Ojoroko rice cultivation site in Nara, Nkanu East Local Government Area, Dr. Zimmerman expressed satisfaction with what he saw on ground.
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/12/us-firm-seeks-to-mechanized-agriculture-in-enugu/
