In any unstable economic environment, the sectors of economic activity act and resist differently depending on the reason for such instability. Some sectors that present a unique resistance in economic aberrations, have a resilient attitude and serve as an equipoise, assisting growth and employment. These sectors are usually related with the basic needs of the people; in the current economic crisis, the agriculture and food sector stand out.
Agriculture has indubitably played a potential role in promoting an integrated development in a regional rural economy, through capturing and recording its interconnections with other sectors of economic activity.
Taking a cursory look from page fourteen (14) of Peter Mbah’s manifesto where he discussed agriculture, thus; ‘’The objective of our programmes in the agricultural sector shall be to feed Enugu State and turn the State into a food-basket for Nigeria and a hub for export of cash crops. The target is to eliminate food insecurity in the state by 2031 through massive investments in technologies for agricultural productivity in the State, technology-enabled agricultural extension services, implementation of Specialized Agro-allied Industry Zones in all Senatorial Zones of the state, and accelerated Technologies for Agricultural Systems Transformation in Enugu State (TASTE).
‘’We shall make agriculture a profitable business that creates jobs for youths and women, increase factor productivity five folds, deepen agricultural markets, increase incomes to farmers and revenue to the State; and turn the rural areas into agricultural productivity zones.
‘’Implementation programme will focus on agro-allied industrialization in rural communities and villages. This will create jobs for rural youths and women, turn rural areas into productivity zones, pull millions out of extreme poverty, and significantly reduce hunger-induced insecurity in rural communities.’’
From the foregoing, Dr. Peter Mbah recognizes the importance of agriculture in promoting an integrated development in a regional rural economy, through capturing and recording its interconnections with other sectors of economic activity. His ambition to launch the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs) in each Senatorial Zones of the state has shown how he has envisioned agriculture as an important driver of growth and development throughout all the zones/region of the state, contributing to the increase of the local gross output.
This he said will be achieved through engaging with the private sector and development partners to implement Technologies for Agricultural Systems Transformation in Enugu State (TASTE) to rapidly facilitate access to productivity by enhancing agricultural technologies: seeds, fertilizers, machinery, and logistics.
The innovative mindset of Dr. Peter Mbah towards agriculture should be applauded as it encompasses all manner of programmes gearing towards productivity by enhancing farm inputs available to farmers, especially in the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones but also rural communities.
The expectations of Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah in agriculture goes in tandem with what was obtainable in the olden days when Enugu State was predominantly farmers with good fertile lands where rice and other food crops were being produced in large quantities as a result of workable drainage system and adoption of mechanized farming system.
Adarice farm is a vast area of land good for rice farming. It has the potential of about five thousand (5000) hectares of land, including the one thousand (1000) hectares of land used for office spaces. Enugu State, through this farm estate was able to create more than five thousand jobs and produced a huge quantity of rice that could feed the entire South Eastern States of Nigeria.
It is mind-blowing as Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah had sworn that his programmes in the agriculture and agribusiness sector will be linked to other development programmes in productive infrastructure, human capital formation, etc., with a laser focus on boosting agricultural productivity, creating employment for youths and women of Enugu State, significantly increasing the percentage contribution of the agricultural sector to our GDP; and ultimately achieving zero hunger in Enugu State by 2031.
