Chinedum Treasure
Anambra State Government has constituted committees to ensure effective distribution of no fewer than one million combination of seedlings to potential beneficiaries across the state.
Commissioner For Agriculture, Dr Forster Ihejiofor stated this at a 1-day consultative meeting by the Ministry in collaboration with Office of Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters with key stakeholders held at the Ministry’s Conference Hall.
The meeting was centred on modalities for year 2024 distribution of economic trees/seedlings which comprised of 700,000 Oil palm seedlings, 200,000 breadfruit seedlings, 50,000 Oji Igbo (Kola nut), 50,000 Akiilu (Bitter Kola) and 40,000 paw paw.
The meeting brought together group of stakeholders including representatives from Presidents General,Heads of Agriculture Departments, Agric Extension Workers,APGA Party Chairmen, Solution Data Collectors, Women and Youth Leaders.
The Commissioner said the gathering served as an opportunity to brief stakeholders on mapped out plans ahead of the distribution exercise.
He said Governor Chukwuma Soludo was committed towards using the agro agenda to lift people out of poverty, revealing that government targets between 130,000 to 280,000 beneficiaries from the exercise slated to commence on Thursday, June 25, 2024.
“Government had procured the seedlings for distribution through already created five regional collection centres at Otuocha-Zone A, Awka–Zone B,Ajalli-Zone C, Ogidi–Zone D as well as Ozubulu–Zone E,” he said.
While urging every Stakeholders to be drivers of the project by playing supervisory role in line with the solution transformative agricultural journey, Ihejiofor explained that the seedlings must be planted and nurtured with organic enhancers.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Dr Alex Obiogbolu explained that committees had been set up comprising key stakeholders to oversee the exercise at Distribution Centres, Ward and Village level.
He added that the committee members, including Transition Committee Chairmen, Local Government Party Chairmen, Agric Extension Workers, Ward Party Chairmen, Youth and Women Leaders were to ensure effective distribution.
“Each beneficiary will receive a minimum of five and maximum of eight seedlings irrespective of combination. Those already profiled will be considered before others.
While noting that the economic trees were procured for Ndi Anambra irrespective of party affiliations, Obiogbolu added that APGA as a party was merely driving the process for the purposes of accountability.
Some of the participants, including Cyril Nwobu, APGA Party Chairman, Orumba North and Hon Alloy Nwafor lauded government for the agricultural intervention programme, pledging their contribution to facilitate successful implementation of the exercise.
Other participants contributed and expressed their concerns which were addressed by Commissioner and the Special Adviser.
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