Delta Government says it will construct a feeder road and irrigation facility to boost food production at Mbiri farm settlement in Ika North East Local Government Area of the state.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resource, Mr Perez Omoun, stated this on Friday, while inspecting Green House farm project, a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) sponsored project at Mbiri.
He said that it was pertinent to build feeder roads and to provide irrigation facilities to drive food production and transportation of produce to the market.
The commissioner, who assumed his official duties on Wednesday, after being sworn in on Tuesday, said the ministry was a field ministry and not white collar job, hence he had to begin inspection of the various projects being handled by the ministry.
According to the Commissioner, Mbiri farms settlement has been a long time project which was inherited from the then Mid-Western Region to Bendel state and now Delta owned project.
“The Ministry of agriculture and Natural Resources is not for white collar but field ministry saddled with the responsibility to ensure food security.”
He said that the inspection would enable him have first hand intimation on state owns projects and the facilities that enjoy collaboration with the Federal Government, CBN and other donor agencies.
“This is why two days after resumption that I have come to access for myself to have first hand information on what we should be working with in line with the M.O.R.E Agenda of Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori led government.
”The M.O.R.E stands for Meaningful Development, Opportunities for All, Realistic Reforms, and Enhanced Peace and Security.
”There cannot be meaningful development without food on table. So, we are here to inspect the GreenHouse project that will soon be kick started,@ he said.
According to him, it is expected that the green house crops will be harvested throughout the year, this will not fall into such seasonal planting and harvest, as such, a feeder road that is going to cover about 16 km is expedient.
“This will enable us take to the market the veritable that will be produced from the green house and other agricultural produce from this farm settlement.
”I also found that irrigation is going to be a problem, the borehole sunk here in the past are dried up,” Omoun said.
The commissioner expressed optimism that in the next six months when the pilot project would start that the roads and irrigation facilities would be in place.
The Commissioner was accompanied my the Permanent Secretary, Mr Ben Agamah and other top management staff of the ministry.