Jacob Ogodo Abakaliki Cassava production turns Ebonyi to an Industrial state; As farmers decry lack of storage facilities. Cassava production and processing along with dry season rice farming are fastly becoming ways of life in Ebonyi state following the astronomical increase in the price of garri in Abakaliki and environs. which to a large extent has aff ected the rate of consumption of the product in the state.
Dealers in garri have attributed the increase in price to increase in transport fares caused by increase in petroleum product and the global economic recession which aff ects every economic activity. Residents in the state on their own have come to know that they have comparative advantage in the area of cassava production and that if well harnessed will bring optimal productivity and industrialization aimed at diversifi cation of the state economy.
Th en in a bid to boost mechanized farming and improve food production especially in the area of cassava production, the state government has procured and distributed 150 meetric tons of best varieties of cassava cutting {Tms 305572} of vitamin A for fl or production and Tms 305506 for starch production to the profi ted farmers in the thirteen local government areas in the state under the one man one hectar programme. In one of the occasions in an agricultural summit in Abakaliki, the state capital, the former Commissioner for agricultural and natural resources, Mr Uchenna Orji boasted, “Here in Ebonyi, we are diversifying the economy and we can achieve by growing cassava and export it to other countries. We have all it takes, the fertile soil and the expanse of land”. Th en as a way to create enabling environment to boost cassava growing went further to cultivate about 100 hectars of land at Oshiri cattle ranch and planting up with vitamin A. Th is is in addition to over 26 hectars in the Abakaliki integrated poultry farm Nkaliki and CAS farmlands have been planted up with improved cassava cuttings sourced from IITA {International institute for tropical agriculture} Ibadan. It was in the light of the above that Governor David Nweze Umahi in August 2015 convoked a colloquium on agriculture to determine areas the state has comparative advantage with regards to the three pronged policy trust of the government on agriculture, viz; Mechanization of a g r i c u l t u r e , Commercialization of agriculture and Professionalization of agriculture.
