Stakeholders from the south east of Nigeria have called on the Federal Government to provide them with various irrigation projects that will spread across the region to enable farmers from the zone have uninterrupted farming season annually .
They
lamented the level of neglect the zone had encountered to meet up with their
counterparts in the north, soliciting for federal government assistance to aid
their farming productions.
The
stakeholders made this known at the flag off ceremony of the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN) Anchor borrowers Scheme in Awka, calling on government to assist farmers
in the zone with modern irrigation facilities that would enhance their farming
systems.
The
stakeholders, who were mainly farmers, said the success of farming business is associated
with modern irrigation facilities which encourage farmers to produce in and out
of farming season.
They
commended the CBN for the loan facilities that would encourage them do well in their
farming production, but stressed the importance of the irrigation project as
the bastion to successful farming business.
On their
parts, the loan administrators, taught the farmers on the mode of payment which
has friendly borrowing interest rates
but advised them to cultivate more rice productions as one of the Nigeria’s
cash crops that can compete favourably with oil as the veritable instrument for
diversification of Nigerian economy.
They charged
them to ensure they abide by the training provided by the experts to enable the
farmers have quality rice produce that can compete with imported products.
High points
of occasion was the presentation of farm seedlings and pesticides at subsidized
rate to aid farmers production output.
END