Taraba state governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, has urged chairmen of the 16 local government councils in the state to work closely with their communities and create an enabling environment for investment in agriculture.
Kefas gave the charge on Saturday in Jalingo while presiding over the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding ,MoU, between the 16 local government councils and Origin Tech Limited for the construction of rural roads across the state.
The agreement, according to reports, is part of the state government’s agricultural mechanisation and rural road development programme aimed at opening up farming communities and strengthening agricultural production.
The governor said the state government had acquired, delivered and tested agricultural and road construction equipment worth N16 billion to support the programme.
“The initiative was designed to improve access to farmlands and enable farmers to benefit from modern agricultural technology and mechanisation,” Kefas explained.
Kefas stressed that the partnership with Origin Tech Limited went beyond the supply of equipment, as it also provided for their proper deployment and maintenance.
He said “The involvement of the local government councils would ensure that the equipment and rural road projects reached communities where they were most needed,” Kefas added.
The governor maintained that developing the agricultural sector would increase Taraba’s internally generated revenue and reduce the state’s dependence on federal allocations.
Earlier, the Chairman of Origin Tech Limited, Prince Samuel Joseph, said Taraba was selected for the programme because of its geographical location and agricultural potential.
Joseph said the initiative would support both agricultural and livestock development, including the establishment of specialised agro-centres.
He disclosed that six agro-centres had already been developed through the company’s partnership with the Taraba State Government.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Prof. Nicholas Oliver Nemesan, described the initiative as the Taraba Accelerated Agriculture and Rural Development Scheme.
Nemesan said the scheme would focus on agricultural production, mechanisation, irrigation, aggregation and processing.
He explained that the rural roads would connect farming communities to markets, storage facilities and processing centres, thereby improving the movement of agricultural produce.
The Chairman of the state chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Moses Maihankali, commended governor Kefas for prioritising agriculture as part of efforts to reduce hardship in the state.
Maihankali assured the state government and Origin Tech Limited of the cooperation and support of the 16 local government councils for the successful implementation of the programme.