As the governorship election in Anambra draws closer, Dr. Ifedi Okwenna continues to engender ideas that, if put in practice, will completely transform the state to a new height.
In his new ideas are “new thinking in broad spectrum in clear terms.” According to the businessman turned politician, anyone who aspires to political top jobs in the land should be educationally endowed, and possess the mental attitude to innovate and transform.
That’s why he has been able to lay in clear terms his ideas as contained in his mission statement on how to change the course of history of the state.
Selling his ideas across the state in the area of agriculture, the former commissioner for environment said, if elected governor of the state, he shall invest massively in agriculture to make Anambra a key agricultural state in Nigeria.
“Combined with our quest for industrial development, we shall not only produce primary agricultural products, but will be committed to transforming them into finished and semi-finished products for distribution to other parts of Nigeria, the West African sub-region and for export out of Africa.”
According to him, agriculture and agribusiness shall provide Ndi Anambra with large number of jobs, food, raw materials and contribute to food security, poverty reduction, wealth creation and to the development of trade and the economy of the state.
“We will designate Awka North, Anambra East, Anambra West, Ayamelum, Oyi, Ogbaru, Ekwusigo, Nnewi South, Ihiala, Orumba North and Orumba South Local Governments as the agricultural belts of Anambra State, based on the availability of arable land and favourable climatic conditions prevalent in the areas. Under this arrangement, lands within these agricultural belts will be dedicated for increased agricultural production”.
Dr. Okwenna promised that his administration shall within the agricultural belts create farm estates where farmers are leased land for agricultural purposes for a period of time.
“Farmers in these estates shall be encouraged and supported to mass produce tomatoes, vegetables, pepper, garden eggs, cucumber, watermelon, okra, teferia (ugu), plantain, banana, cassava, yams, maize, rice, beans etc. We shall promote irrigation farming within the mapped-out farm estates to ensure all the year round farming activities.
“Access roads to these farm estates will be of top priority for the government for easy evacuation of produce.There will be provisions for residential farmer’s apartments for in-farm residents”.
He also disclosed that they will set up fish farm estates in some of the agricultural belts where government will provide the lead in building fish ponds and then lease out to investors and benefitting farmers at a fee or allocate lands for them to build their fish farms in a highly regulated environment over a period of time. “Veterinary doctors and personnel with upscaled skills shall be assigned to regularly monitor developments within the fish farm estates.
“Farmers within the estates shall have the advantage of cooperating to produce fish foods and droplets and getting hybrid juvenile fishes. Anambra Marketing Board shall be available to produce and supply them with feeds and market their fish products”.
“The fish farm estates are expected to produce hundreds of thousands of tons of fishes every year and will not only satisfy our fish needs and export, but will produce tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs to young school leavers and graduates of fisheries”.
There shall also be establishment of poultry and pig farm estates across the state, especially within the agricultural belt of the state.
“Just as with the fish farm estates, government shall build poultry farms and lease out to farmers, school leavers and investors or have expanses of land mapped out and allocated to them to run their poultry farms in a regulated environment and assigned with experts to regularly monitor developments within the poultry and pig farm estates.
“These farms shall be supported by government through provision and supply of improved varieties and feeds. “The Anambra Marketing Board may arrange credit supply of feeds and hybrid day-old chicks/broilers and piglets to young school levers/farmers to encourage them to start poultry farming and pig rearing.”
Dr. Okwenna further promised that, if given the mandate, his government will always place emphasis on livestock farming to provide Ndi Anambra with enough protein requirement without depending on imported or malnourished livestock.
“We will designate some expanse of land within the agricultural belt for ranching and invite investors to take advantage of this. We will also invite and partner with governments of Botswana and Namibia to develop and upscale the management of ranches in Anambra State.”
While promising that his government will promote Ehi-Igbo variety to ensure it does not go extinct, the guber hopeful hinted that they would cross-breed the Ehi-Igbo variety with imported cows from Botswana and Namibia to improve their size and meat producing potentials, as well as the goats.
On dairy farm, he said “since we have a particularly young population and therefore need milk for growth. We will convert part of our livestock farms into dairy farms. Female cattle shall be raised within these farms for the purposes of producing milk. The milk shall be processed at the diary farm for use within the state, for sales in other states and for export”.
“We will bring the best breed of cattle for dairy purposes. The dairy process may also produce cream, butter, cheese, mayonnaise, yoghurt, pasteurized nunu etc.”
On cereals, he said “we will advance the farming of rice, maize, wheat and other cereals in Anambra State and make our produce very competitive in the Nigeria market. We will modernize our farming methods and promote irrigation farming extensively to ensure all year-round farming.”
Furthermore, we will upscale our processing facilities to ensure a zero stone tolerance level and better packaging,” he added.
The governorship aspirant who dwelt extensively on agro-processing and storage said, “we shall place great emphasis on processing and storage to reduce food losses and the economic returns to farmers,” adding that government will be committed to providing synergy for proper processing of all agro-produce with appropriate technologies to add value, improve quality and provide enabling environment for preservation, storage and subsequent sales and distribution.
“We will promote and support the establishment of cottage industries in all parts of the state for processing of food produce and other products.”
According to him, the core strategy is to ensure that appropriate machines, equipment and technologies are locally fabricated, propagated and maintained within Anambra State.
“The Anambra State Industrial Development Centre shall be dedicated to fabricating machines, equipment and molds locally to be used by industries within the state in order to reduce our dependence on imported machines and spare parts.”
“We will use Anambra Marketing Board to syndicate funds and partner with investors and industrialists to ensure the setting up of cottage industries across the state and to provide good corporate governance for the facilities.”
He said processing of agro produce from other neighboring states shall equally be encouraged to further enhance the economic development of the state.
On the Farm House Franchise, he said “we shall create a Farm House Franchise and ensure that they are established in all communities within the state. This will give residents of Anambra communities the opportunity of accessing fresh organic foods, fruits and vegetable at affordable prices all year round.
“Franchise for this Farm House Brands will be sold to operators at a fee and they are supplied directly either from the farm estates or through the Anambra Market Board. A franchisee shall provide space and cooling system for the farm house”.
On research institute, he promised that government will, through the Anambra Marketing Board, periodically provide farm subsidy to genuine farmers in all farm estates, ranches, ane plantationns across the state, and that the subsidy may be through farm inputs, machinery, irrigation facilities, cultivars, and seedlings to enhance food production in the state.
“We shall establish, within the agricultural belt of the state, the Anambra State Institute for Agricultural Research and Training (ASIAR&T), which shall be developed to research and develop options for achieving significant improvement in agricultural productivity, marketing and competitiveness.
The institute, according to him, shall promote innovations, establish a knowledge management capacity and strengthen the agricultural research system.
The Institute will run regular and part time training programmes on agricultural improvement and innovations. It will partner with foreign Institutions and experts, especially from Israel, the United States and Canada to upscale the knowledge of our agricultural practitioners.” he said
He called on Ndi Anambra all over the world to join him so as to take Anambra State to the next level through agriculture
