The program Manager Abia state Agricultural Development Program (ADP) Chief Israel Amanze says the establishment of Poultry Cluster at Nsulu in Isialangwa North LGA by the Governor Dr. Victor Okezie Ikpeazu has helped in training and empowering poultry farmers in the state.
Chief Amanze said this as a guest on a State owned Broadcasting Cooperation of Abia State (BCA) 88.1 FM flagship program “The platform” acknowledged that since establishment of the poultry cluster, it has played important role such as, a practical ground and empowerment for Abia poultry farmers, and reciprocating such projects in all the Local Governments in the state will be a great benefit for the farmers.
Amanze said his agency Abia ADP through the collaboration of National Center for Agricultural Mechanization has achieved tremendous successes in the state, on areas like cassava processing, Maize, Rice and others as well as enhancing efficiency of staff through various degree of staff training on Agricultural Mechanization.
According to Chief Amanze “During the year 2020, we invited the National Center for Agric. Mechanization for exhibition and since then farmers here have booked through us to acquires some of these machines, we have also done training of farmers in umuahia, Bende and others”.
The Abia ADP boss further said the agency has a robust collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture which as result facilitated the farmer’s enumeration, counting and documentation of number of farmers in the state, soil sampling and analysis, training on Noila bird productions as well as fast tracking account opening for almost all the rural farmers in the state.
Chief Amanze enumerated his recent achievements in improving the lots of farmers in the state to include, Distribution of 50 Modern Pressurized cube storage boxes for ice fish, Distribution of 25 Hematic grain storage for grains, and fish drying kings which extract oil at the process of fish drying.
“Post-harvest loses is always a problem where you experience deterioration of fish, attacks on grains by weevils and rots on vegetables etc., Abia ADP collaborated with Nigerian stored product research Institute NSPRI Ilorin to build modern integrated solar dryer at Abia ADP which is for public and we charge little and dry your produce, while we have also distributed the kits to village cooperatives “Chief Amanze added.
Co-guest at the program and Abia state project coordinator Nigerian Erosion and Water Shed Management (NEWMAP) Engineer Izuchukwu Onwughara said the NEWMAP has successfully relegated environment, stopped further advancement and control of erosion at Amuzu ukwu in Umuahia south, and Amuda to Achara road in Umunneochi LGA, amongst other ongoing projects to include Umuezi Ukwu to Umuezi Nta road and establishment of cooperative societies in most of the communities in the state to boost finance and lift the people from abject poverty.
Callers at the program such as Michael Okpara, Mr. Nwachukwu, Pastor Ifeanyi Emmanuel and Abai State commissioner for Documentation and strategic communication Hon. Ugochukwu Emezue appreciated the number of successes achieved by the two government agencies in the state and urged them to do more.
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