The maiden conference of commissioners for agriculture of the nine member states of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has taken off in Benin City with a call on the oil rich but crises prone zone to commence massive production of food and cash crops.
Declaring the conference open at the Motel Benin Plaza, the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, who stood in for Governor Lucky Igbinedion said the zone is blessed with abundant rainfall and fertile land good for farming. “The government and people of Northern Nigeria are very aggressive these days in the production of food and cash crops. Compete with them to make this country a food production nation,” he said, adding: “The emphasis must be that agriculture should be distinguished from other developmental efforts and pursued with renewed commitment and the urgency it deserves because it provides the people with the basic means of livelihood.
“States in the Niger Delta are purely agrarian. The main occupation of the people are fishing and farming; so any programme to develop the region therefore must include agricultural development. The initiative to pioneer this conference, first of its kind in the region, stems from the realisation that for agriculture to be fully developed, a forum for collaboration among the stakeholders in the development of the Niger Delta region is needed.”
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