By Our Correspondent
Bayelsa State has flagged off an expansive dry season farming programme to boost agricultural productivity and ensure food security.
The programme entails supporting farmers with the necessary inputs, offering technical assistance to ensure successful farming season and harvest as well as organising training for farmers to enhance their skills and knowledge in areas such as soil preparation, irrigation and post-harvest management.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources will also assist farmers in the state to embark on aggressive rice, cassava; plantain farming as well as other crops the state had a comparative advantage.
Flagging off the 2024/2025 Dry Farming Season over the weekend at the Ministry of Agriculture rice farm in Otuasega, Ogbia Local Government Area, Governor Douye Diri urged Bayelsans to key into his administration’s agricultural revolution to promote food security in the state.
He particularly charged government officials to engage in farming to complement the government’s effort towards ensuring that Bayelsa became a productive rather than a consuming economy.
The governor said in his first term, more than 400 youths were trained at the CSS Integrated Farms in Nasarawa State and another 200 recently trained at the same centre.
He equally stated that his administration recently completed the training of another 77 youths in soilless and green house farming in Ogun State and assured that an additional 100 would be sent for training in January next year.
Governor Diri, however, expressed displeasure that despite the funds disbursed to each trainee after their CSS training, the state had yet to see any positive results.
He directed the Commissioner for Agriculture to ascertain the number of trainees that actually utilised the funds, stating that the government will no longer give out cash incentives to trainees.
He said: “All of us should engage in farming, including all appointees. It is a clarion call to own a farm no matter how small. We are prepared to support farmers to change the narrative and ensure food security.”
“The era of subsistence farming is over. Farming now is big business. That is why we are constructing roads to the hinterlands to help farmers transport their produce.
“l am aware that a lot of farmers benefited from the Central Bank of Nigeria agricultural loan. Some of our CSS trainees benefitted from the loan and N300, 000 was given to each trainee of the two batches.
“In each of the batches, not less than 200 persons were trained. But we are yet to see what came out of those who received the money. The records are there.
“So, I have directed the Commissioner for Agriculture that we will no longer give cash to any trainee because it appears not to be the solution. Rather, we will encourage them and other farmers to take advantage of the various agric loan schemes and repay whatever is obtained”, headed.
