Ejike Anyaduba
It is no longer news that Anambra state since the government
of Chief Willie Obiano has joined the league of producers of rice in commercial
quantities in Nigeria. Before this time the edible grains were grown at
sustenance level in the Omambala area of the state, in Ogbaru and a few places
in the old Aguata division. However, it was in Omor, one of the towns in
Ayamelum Local Government Area that sits on the shores of the Omambala River
that rice farming was grown at reasonable quantity.
Perhaps that explained why the Federal Government once
started the rehabilitation of the Lower Anambra River Irrigation Rice Farm
project there. Unfortunately, the Omor Rice Mill was beset by a lot of problems
before it could achieve the purpose for which it was established and was
consequently abandoned.
It took the coming of the Obiano administration to revive
interest in rice farming in commercial quantity in the state. With agriculture
as one of its five economic pillars and bolstered by specific enablers the
government went to work. Conscious that government does not do business
successfully it encouraged investors to come and invest in the state through
public private partnership initiative. But this was not until it has
successfully battled and brought under control one of the greatest impediments
to investments anywhere in the world. The undesirable persisting influence of
insecurity had long kept Anambra state off the business range of investors most
of whom are from the state. Even those already engaged in the process had to
abandon it in order to escape being robbed, abducted and even murdered. For
example it took the Coscharis Farms limited that grows paddies on a vast
expanse of about 3,000 hectares of land at Anaku in Ayamelum LGA close to 30
years to commence farming.
The mechanized rice farm with two cycle planting season and
a humugous mill at Igbariam could not have been possible without the Obiano
government. According to Dr. Cosmas Maduka the chairman and CEO of Coscharis Farms
without Governor Obiano the effort would come in vain. “Let me say that outside
God Almighty I will give the credit of the success of this farm to Governor
Willie Obiano because when we talk about providing leadership it is about
government providing the enabling environment for business to thrive. First, he
came to Anambra state and took care of criminals, kidnappers etc. Today we have
Netherlands, Indians, and Australians working in this farm for the past two
years without issue. They would not have come…this is the firs important thing
he did”.
Today, apart from the Coscharis farm that targets production
of about 40,000 tons of rice yield there are others like JOSAN Rice Mill at
Umumbo, STINE Rice at Amichi and many more. It may be fair to argue that by the
time the Obiano government completes its tenure in the state, Anambra will be
competing with the highest rice-producing state in Nigeria, and possibly
surpass it. It has done so in security and will do it again in the other
sectors of the economy, including rice production.
0 Comments