At least 300 women in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State have been empowered with vegetable seeds and farm implements, an aide to the state governor, said on Saturday, November 25, 2017.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba, Dr Genevieve Mordi, the Senior Special Assistant to Delta Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, on International Relations, said the empowerment programme was to encourage more women to engage in agriculture, especially vegetable farming.
Mordi said that the vision was driven by the need to instill in the people of the state the “Western-style’’ mind-set of farming.
“The vision is also aimed at erasing the erroneous notion that some particular crops cannot do well in the state.
“I am particularly worried that sometimes, we are at the mercies of our northern brothers for the supply of some crops and vegetables such as tomato and onion, among others.
“These crops some of us earlier believed cannot do well in this part of the country.
“Delta state, by divine coordination is well situated geographically and my vision is to see a Delta State where farming becomes a specialised profession as it is in the western hemisphere where farming is not just limited to supplying the food chain but also expands into agri-tourism ,’’ she said.
According to her, Agri-tourism, hotels are built within organised farming settlement, activities such as fruit picking, customised foods, custom smoothness and juices blends by the hotel guests could be included as part of the tourism package to attract guests nationally and internationally.
“We already have this in Aqua-culture termed as ‘point and kill’. It is just adapting same practice to fruits and vegetables.
“This will definitely lead to job creation and increased revenue generation. We will get there one day and real soon,’’ Mordi said.
By Mercy Obojeghren
