Wednesday, 8th February, 2023 was a historical day for Enugu State Farmers as Enugu State Agricultural Development Programme (ENADEP) flagged-off the long-awarded registration of farmers in the state at Awgu Local Government Council Headquarter. The registration of Enugu State farmers in different agricultural value-chains is one of the policy thrust of the new Programme Management Unit (PMU), under the leadership of Dr.Ogbonna Onyeisi (mni). According to Dr.Onyeisi, as one of the good agricultural practice, ENADEP is working to have the database of every farmer in Enugu State.
At the occasion organized by Southfield International in collaboration with ENADEP, about four hundred farmers from every community in Awgu gathered to be registered and also benefit from the free distribution of organic fertilizer and herbicide manufactured by the Southfield International. Southfield has been training farmers and promoting the use of organic agro products as a strategy for climate- smart agricultural practices.
ENADEP and Southfield agreed to collaborate as one of the action plans of Enugu State Farmer Associations Forum to unite Enugu State farmers and increase their productvity. At the meeting of Enugu State Farmers Associations Forum held at the ENADEP Headquarter on thursday 15th December, 2022, the Forum pleaded with ENADEP to support Southfield International to train farmers in every local Government council of Enugu State on how to produce organic fertilizer. The Forum agreed also at the meeting to meet candidates for 2023 elections in Enugu to know their plans for famers.
Speaking at the flaged-off, the Programme Manager of ENADEP, Dr.Onyeisi thanked Hon.Giovanni Madubuaku for initiating the project and for his continous training and empowering of rural farmers on the use of organic agro inputs. He reiterated the important of climate-smart agricultural and urged the Southfield International to continue the good work. The Progrmme Manager promised to create enabling environment where the message will be spreaded to every local government of Enugu State, to every State of the Federation, and to all over the world. Dr.Onyeisi praised Enugu State Government, under Rt.Hon.Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, CON for paying counter-part funding that attracted special projects to Enugu State, such as: Agro-Processing Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvment Support (APPEALS) Project；International Fund for Agricultutural Development/ Federal Government of Nigeria- Value Chain Development ProgrammeI( IFAD/FGN -VCDP )； and Agricultutural Transformation Agenda Support Program Phase-1 ((ATASP-1) – AFDB Assisted. Dr.Onyeisi asserted that the success of these agricultural development projects illustrate the determination of Enugu State Government to support Enugu farmers. He urged the farmers to vote Dr.Peter Mbah and Barr.Ifeanyi Ossai for governorship and other PDP candidates endorsed by Governor Ugwuanyi for 2023 elections for continuity in improving the lives of Enugu State farmers. According to him, the Manifesto of Mbah/Ossai has outlined their agricultural development framework if voted into office, comes 11th March, 2023.
Earlier, Hon.Madubuaku, in his welcome address, expressed his joy that the Programme Manager and his Management team from ENADEP came all the way from Enugu to grace the occasion. In his view, training farmers and promoting organic agro products are his inert desires to improve the lives of his people, contribute to his immediate environment and to the happiness of the people of the world. He appreciated ENADEP collaboration which he felt will help farmers to increase their production and income and will also encourage more citizens to engage in agriculture.
Climax of the occasion was the registration of farmers in various value chains and the distribution of free organic agro products worth millions of Naira to three selected farmers from each of the eleven communities in Awgu Local Government Area.
