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Recession: Commissioner advocates adoption of two cash crops by states

By Nnamdi Akpa, Abakaliki
21 September 2016   |   1:19 am
The Ebonyi State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Dr. Denis EkumaNkama yesterday, advocated that one of the to wriggle out of this recession is for each state to have at least two cash crops, which they will be known for.
David Umahi of Ebonyi State.

David Umahi of Ebonyi State.

The Ebonyi State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Dr. Denis EkumaNkama yesterday, advocated that one of the to wriggle out of this recession is for each state to have at least two cash crops, which they will be known for.

In a chat with journalists in Abakaliki, Ekuma Nkama said the since Ebonyi State Government took over rice and cashew production as her own identity other states should follow suit.

“I advocate that each state should have at least two cash crops with which they will be known for. For instance, you cannot talk about rice production without mentioning Ebonyi State, and that is why our governor made it a policy that everybody must have at least a hectre of rice farm. If states like Kano, and some states in West go back to Kano groundnut pyramid and cocoa plantation then, within few periods, we will wriggle out of this recession,” he noted.

He further confirmed that the State Government has started repaying the Federal Government bailout funds given to some states in distress, even as it vowed to clear all loans secured by the present administration.

Ekuma Nkama said the state immediately after securing the bailout funds made arrangement for the money to be deducted at source from the Federation Account from the allocation accruable to the state government, adding that the present administration under Governor David Umahi, will not leave any loan unpaid.

On the Treasury Single Account, TSA, Ekuma Nkama said the Ebonyi State Government was one the first states to key into the TSA policy which he said had saved a lot of money for the state, as it blocked various leakages in state funds.

He said the government had through the TSA been able to save so much money, which were hitherto going into private pockets, adding that the present administration frowned at leakages in public funds and called for more collective efforts to achieve development.

The Commissioner further revealed that the government, through the Ministry of Finance, had increased internally generated revenue to a greater percentage due to measures put in place to control leakages and ensure accountability and probity. in public spending.

He called for aggressive agricultural policy as way out of the current economic recession, saying that the state government had initiated serious agro-based policy that would revive the state and return her back to the former status as food basket of the entire West African region.

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