Mkpoikana Udoma
19 March 2018, Sweetcrude, Port Harcourt — The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has flagged off the distribution of agricultural inputs, comprising of organic liquid fertilizer and soil conditioner, to farmers in Akwa Ibom State.
Addressing farmers at the commencement of the distribution of the agricultural inputs, in Uyo, the Commission’s Managing Director, Mr. Nsima Ekere, said that the interventionist agency was determined to guarantee food security in the Niger Delta region.
Ekere, represented by Akwa Ibom State representative on the board of the NDDC, Mr. Samuel George, said that the Commission had always recognized agriculture as the way forward for Nigeria, adding that it would continue to initiate programmes that would boost modern agricultural practices.
He explained that the Commission was also collaborating with Cross Rivers State Government to activate the government’s hatchery and poultry project with the purpose of distributing day old chicks and feeds to poultry farmers at subsidized rates.
“We want to discourage the use of in-organic substances in farming. We have, therefore, taken a bold step to provide farmers in the Niger Delta region with Agric Zyme Organic Liquid Fertilizers.
“This product will not only increase farm yield dramatically, it will also restore the ecological properties of the soil, making it more suitable for agricultural use and encouraging more youths to embrace modern farming,” Ekere said.
Also speaking, NDDC Director for Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr. Marcel Eshiogu, told the farmers that the commission has procured 50,000 litres of soil conditioners and 50,000 litres of agric zyme for distribution in the region.
Eshiogu guaranteed the safety of the products, noting that they had been fully tested and certified. He assured that the Commission would not relent in its zeal to transform agriculture into a rewarding commercial venture.
NDDC Consultant for the programme, Dr. Edith Iroegbu-Anaekwe, emphasised the need for farmers to work smart, stating that the use of agric zyme fertilizer was a sure way to go for smart farming.
During her presentation, Iroegbu-Anaekwe explained that the products help plants to digest nutrients easily.
“Just as the finest meal will be of little or no value to the human body if the body is unable to digest and assimilate the nutrients from the food, so also the soil fertilizers, poultry feeds, fish feed and livestock feeds will be of no effect if they were not digested for the nutrients to be absorbed,” she said.
