The Anambra State Government has distributed 4,480 bags of fertiliser to Presidents-General of communities across the state to support farmers, improve agricultural productivity and boost food security.
The allocation represents the state’s 40 per cent share of the 11,200 bags of fertiliser supplied through the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Farm Input Support Programme.
The distribution ceremony, themed “Innovate Today. Nourish Tomorrow,” brought together government officials and community leaders to discuss strategies for improving agricultural production and ensuring sustainable food security.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Ben Odoemena, represented by the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Clem Aguiyi, stressed the importance of proper waste management, environmental protection and peaceful coexistence in achieving sustainable food production.
Aguiyi identified flooding and climate change as major threats to agricultural production, noting that flooding frequently destroys farmlands and causes significant losses for farmers, particularly shortly before harvest.
He disclosed that Anambra generates more than 1,500 tonnes of solid waste daily, much of which could be converted into organic manure to improve soil fertility and increase agricultural productivity instead of being discarded.
The commissioner also identified insecurity and communal conflicts as challenges affecting food production, explaining that violence in communities could force farmers to abandon their farmlands.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Chinwe Achubu, said the state government was working to promote sustainable, market-oriented agriculture through improved irrigation, access to quality farm inputs, reliable markets and partnerships with private investors and financial institutions.
Achubu urged community leaders to ensure that the fertiliser was distributed appropriately and put to productive use by farmers. She added that the intervention would also support dry-season farming and strengthen the state’s food security efforts.
In their separate speeches, the traditional ruler of Awka, Obi Gibson Nwosu, and his Uke counterpart, Igwe Charles Agbala, commended Governor Chukwuma Soludo for his continued support for the agricultural sector.
They noted that economic crops previously distributed by the state government had continued to yield positive results for farmers, expressing optimism that the fertiliser intervention would further improve agricultural output and livelihoods across communities.
Angel Network News (ANN) reports that the event also featured an exhibition of agricultural produce and value-added food products processed from crops cultivated in various communities across Anambra State.
