By Praise Chinecherem
Anambra State Commissioner For Agriculture, Dr forster Ihejiofor has underscored the need to adopt organic agricultural practices to enhance food security in the state.
Ihejiofor said this at a 3-day nanotechnology training and credit facilities for poultry Farmers organised by AAC Farmers Cooperative and Zikora Microfinance Bank in collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture held at the Ministry’s Conference Hall.
He said organic agriculture was a production that sustained the health of the soil, ecosystem and people.
The Commissioner added that organic agriculture was a system which has all the components of nature working together for successful production of food.
“This will give plants and animals immunity to fight diseases, having absorbed the much needed micro nutrients for healthy growth,” he noted
He urged the participants to embrace the farming system, even as AAC Cooperative had come to help them conquer some of the challenges being encountered in managing poultry farms.
Contributing, Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mrs Ifeyinwa Uzoka said the farmers needed training and capacity building to adopt organic practices and improve their productivity.
The Project Manager, Agricultural Development Programme(ADP), Mr Jude Nwankwo, expressed optimism that the brand of organic fertilizers provided by the Farmers Cooperative would stand the test of time and help to manage farms effectively.
According to him, the products are currently undergoing pilot demonstration in the field and the result being awaited.
National Coordinator, AAC Farmers Cooperative,Dr Ernest Nwachukwu said they target to encourage every family to cultivate 80 percent of what they eat organically.
He said efforts by the Cooperative group to bring organic farming into mainstream agriculture in Nigeria had started yielding possible results in over 28 states.
“Our fertilizers are purely organic for crops and birds,and are safe to be used in all types of farms across the country for production of foods for healthy living”
The Coordinator said the cooperative was also raising awareness on participatory guarantee credit facilities for poultry Farmers in collaboration with designated Micro Finance Banks supported by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
A resource person from Mbaitolu Microfinance Bank, Mr Remigius Okere explained that arrangements had been made to enable the farmers overcome the challenge of funding, urging them to take advantage of the opportunity to expand their businesses and touch more lives.
