The Ebonyi State government has inaugurated a committee charged with agricultural practices to help it achieve its objectives in the sector.

The committee chairman, Sunday Ituma, said during the inauguration on Monday that it comprises stakeholders such as the Ministry of Agriculture, donor agencies, private-sector investments, and farmers, among others.

Mr Ituma, the state programme coordinator of the Federal Government of Nigeria/International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)-assisted Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), said the committee would achieve set goals.

“We will periodically liaise with the state government to ascertain its agricultural targets with every stakeholder proffering solutions to achieve such targets.

“There will be no competition among us, but synergy will be promoted for effective collaboration.

“Individual projects have their developmental objectives, but we would pool our strengths and resources to attain set goals,” he said.

He noted that the committee would promote Governor Francis Nwifuru’s campaign mantra in the agricultural sector of embarking on practical agriculture.

“The people will be the ultimate beneficiaries as they would equitably access governmental policies and programmes,” he said.

The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Nkechinyere Iyioku, said the government was delighted over the inauguration as several efforts to constitute such bodies in the past had failed.

“The committee will help in the effective coordination of the Ministry of Agriculture’s activities, and the government will support it to succeed.

“Development is more effective both in cost and programming when implementation agencies – public and private – collaborate.

“This collaboration has inherent benefits which include sharing of ideas, pooling of resources and achieving goals collectively,” she said.

Ben Odoemena, chief of party of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Extension Activity, commended the state government for inaugurating the committee.

Jane Okpo, a farmer, urged the government to ensure that the committee was sustained and did not go into extinction after the inauguration. 

(NAN)