Federal Governor plans dry season-rice farming in Delta

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture has earmarked Delta State for participation in the dry season-rice farming, which is scheduled to begin soon.The allocation came after the ministry’s tour of over 1500 hectares of land in the state.

The Chief Agriculture Officer of the ministry in Abuja, Mr. Daniel Okoro-Maraye, said the state’s facility qualified it for the allotment.Raymos Guanah Farms would manage it. A breakdown of the hectares shows that Illah has 60 hectares, Ugulamai, 400, Ike-Onitsha 200 and Ossissa, 800.

He said: “We are conducting a verification for dry season farming across the nation and government has set a machinery in place to assist farmers with input to curb rice shortage in the country. With what I have seen, the state has a fine ecology for it.”

The Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture in the state, Mr. Kehis Felix, said the exercise was part of government’s drive towards economic diversification.

Guanah said the scheme, which would ensure an all-year round rice farming, would make the product available and cheap.He added that the farm’s yield was worth over 4500 metric tons.

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Austin Chikezie, explained that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has approved the reactivation of the state’s annual anti-rabbies campaign.

He said the campaign became necessary because of the dangers, which unimmunised dogs pose to the citizens.Chikezie told journalists at the weekend that there was a lack of awareness from stakeholders, adding that besides dogs, other domestic animals like cattle, sheep and goats are susceptible to the disease.