Gov. Umahi warns Ebonyi people against abandoning farms for politics

Governor Umahi of Ebonyi State

Farmers in Ebonyi State should not abandon their farm for politics, Governor David Umahi has counselled.
He gave the advice on Thursday in Abakiliki, at the launch of the 2019 farming season in the state.
The event was attended by rice and cassava farmers, traditional rulers and beneficiaries of government’s empowerment schemes, among other stakeholders.
He said that government had enough funds to assist farmers during the farming season.
He said: “We have funds from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Federal Government so farmers should register with the state ministry of agriculture and natural resources to be able to access the loans.
“You only need to tell us how much fund, fertilizer and herbicides you want and how you intend to pay back because we will not profile farmers this farming season.”
He said that government would only verify the farmlands to be used for cultivation but will not provide rice seedlings to farmers this year.
“Our own people, including workers and government officials, dealt with us last farming season and when we are eating our future, we do not know.
“You pay high amount of money for rice seedlings and they (officials) would get the seedlings through the farmers and supply them to us.
“We are therefore not procuring rice seedlings for anybody again,” the governor said, adding that farmers should produce their own seedling or go to Benue to buy.
“My father was a farmer all through his life, trained all his children to the university level but never sought for government’s rice seedlings,” he said. (NAN)