Benue will soon take over FG's agro export initiative


MAKURDI...........Benue state government has declared its quest to dominate the Federal government's agricultural produce export initiative by producing over 70 percent of all exportable farm produce from the country in the very near future.

The state government maintained that as a major stakeholder in the initiative, it had already keyed into the policy through the Agricultural Revolution introduced by the Governor Samuel Ortom led administration.

Chief Press Secretary to the State Governor, Terver Akaser who spoke yesterday against the backdrop of recent reports of large quantity of Benue yam exported to Europe and America said the development indicated that the state was already living up to its "Food Basket of the Nation" status.

Akaser said, "the people of the state have embraced completely the return to farm mantra of the Samuel Ortom administration. That singular policy has turned around the fortune of our farming populace.

"As we speak the state government on its part is moving truck loads of fertilizers to the 23 local government areas of the state to be distributed and sold to farmers at highly subsidized rate of 38 percent.

"Even the recently signed open grazing prohibition and establishment of ranches law aims at providing security and making the environment conducive for small holder farmers so that people can go to their farmers without the fear of attacks.

"That law also seeks to protect cattle breeders from rustlers. That is another thing that people are failing to talk about. No matter the livestock you breed in your ranches the law protects you from rustlers.

"It is common knowledge that with security in place, agricultural activities will pick up without farmers living in fear of being attacked moreover the law provides for the establishment of a department in the Ministry of Agriculture which will regulate grazing in the state."



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