The Enugu State Government said it has awarded and commenced the construction of 15 rural access roads leading to the processing and aggregation centres across the state.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-industrialisation, Mr Patrick Ubru disclosed this during the celebration of 2024 World Food Day in collaboration with the Association of Food and Nutrition in Enugu on Wednesday.
NewsBits reports that the theme of this year’s World Food Day is “Right to Food for a Better Life and a Better Future”. Ubru said that the roads, when completed would enhance access to Enugu farmers and improve the efficiency of their agricultural supply team.
He explained that the state would be expecting to receive about 300 tractors attracted by Governor Peter Mbah, which would significantly enhance the farmers’ productivity and efficiencies.
“As per this year’s World Food Day theme, we must advocate for policies that safeguards the right to food, promote sustainable agricultural practices, support our most vulnerable population and create a future, where Enugu people will enjoy the right to food,” he said.
Mbah’s administration has launched the livestock production and resilience support L-PRESS project, which includes the ongoing construction of a regional Veterinary hospital in Akwuke in Enugu South Local Government Area and modern abattoirs according to him.
He said that these facilities would provide essential services to Enugu livestock farmers and ensure healthy meat in the state. Governor Peter Mbah represented by the Commissioner for Science and Technology, Dr Lawrence Eze, lauded Ubru for the great work he had been doing in the state ministry of agriculture.
The governor said that the state was celebrating the era of food abundance, adding that all the farm produce assembled during the World Food Day were all produced by the state ministry of agriculture and from Enugu soil.
He said that his administration was doing its best by taking agriculture to mechanized section. The Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia applauded Ubru for his great effort in the ministry of agriculture.
He said that the vision of Mbah’s administration for the state was to build an agricultural sector that would not only meet local demands but also serve as a model of excellency in food security.
Earlier, Mrs Clara Eze, Chairman, Enugu State Committee on Food and Nutrition lauded governor Mbah for his wonderful ideas across all sections of the government, especially supporting those in the food and nutrition.
“We are here today to talk about our local delicacies, what you eat determines your life span, what you eat determines your health. It is very important that we think back and remember that we have special local delicacies that are better than all the packaged food,” she said.
Mr Finian Ali, Enugu State Coordinator, Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), Enugu Chapter, represented by Ms Kobi Ikpo, said it was a collective responsibility to ensure that the right to food was upheld for all citizens, particularly the most valuable.
“The CSO-SUNN commended the effort of the Enugu State Government as well as all the stakeholders, particularly the smart green farm as it is very useful given the issues of security in farmlands today, we encourage policies that will improve access to nutrition-rich food,” he said.
