Agriculture
Ebonyi State builds additional fertilizer plant as demand for Nigerian blends soar
The Ebonyi State Government, south-east Nigeria, has commenced the construction and installation of plant machinery and equipment towards enhancing the production capacity of the state-owned Ebonyi Fertilizer and Chemical Company Limited in order to take advantage of the soaring demands for various blends of NPK fertilizer produced in the country.
Construction work has already reached advanced stages at the new site, located behind the existing plant complex along the Abakaliki-Ogoja highway of the state capital, with the plants and machinery installations expected to be completed soon.
When completed, the new plant will add a production capacity of 40 metric tonnes of blended NPK fertilizer per hour to the existing plant, built in 2004, and which has a capacity of 32 metric tonnes per hour.
According to a statement from the General Manager of the company, Prof Ogbonnaya Chukwu, the State Government, under the leadership of Governor David Umahi, envisioned that the expanded capacity of the plant will place the company in good stead to meet the growing fertilizer needs of the state as well as those of the neighbouring south-east and south-south states.
Prof Chukwu, who doubles as the Senior Special Assistant to the State Governor on Investment, commended the Federal Government for the vision behind the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative, saying farmers in the state have benefitted immensely from the programme, which has made possible and easy for fertilizer blends to be delivered on time and at affordable prices.
“I think Ebonyi State Fertilizer and Chemical Company Limited is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative. The intervention by PFI has helped us to up our game in terms of employment generation and service delivery. Farmers in the State now get very high-quality fertilizers early and that was largely responsible for the high volume of rice produced in the state in 2017,” he stated.
The Agricultural Engineering professor also stated that the company, which produces all the different blends of the multi-nutrient NPK fertilizer, has also made it possible for farmers in neighbouring states of Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Delta and Cross River States to purchase the appropriate fertilizer blends relevant for different crop types much more conveniently, adding that, with the new plant, scarcity of fertilizer in many of the south-east and south-south states would be a thing of the past.
He revealed that the PFI has also been critical to the revival of the old plant built by the state in 2004, saying it was through the initiative that all the disused equipment in the hitherto moribund plant was sourced and replaced at much more affordable costs.
“By the time we were about to start last year, we realized that our conveyor chain on our old plant had been broken and it had not been replaced since 2004. That replacement was made possible by the fact that we participated in the PFI. And through the help of some members of FEPSAN it was possible to even achieve that at a significantly lower cost,” he revealed.
He thanked the State Governor for his vision in keying into the PFI initiative, saying farmers in the state have had no reason to complain of unavailability or high cost of fertilizer since the plant was revived early in 2017.
He said Governor Umahi has designed a scheme that ensures that fertilizers produced in the plant are distributed to all the council wards in the state to ease transportation costs for both large and small unit farmers and also ensuring that every farmer gets fertilizers at the official price of N5,500 for a 50-kilogramme bag.
The Ebonyi State Fertilizer and Chemical Company Limited is one of the leading fertilizer blending plants in Nigeria. Established in 2004, the plant serves more of a fertilizer aggregation and distribution company until 2017 when the moribund plant was revived under the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative programme of the Federal Government.
Its aim is to pilot the State Government’s strategies to fight poverty and hunger through increase in food production, attracting investors and enhancing overall agricultural development in the state.
Agriculture
We engage in beneficial, community-oriented land acquisition for agricultural purposes – Enugu Govt
By Our Correspondent
The Enugu State Government says it only engages in a win-win land acquisition system for ongoing agricultural initiatives and programmes.
The state’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-industrialisation, Mr Patrick Nwabueze Ubru, made this known to newsmen in Enugu, weekend, stating that “we engage in beneficial and community-oriented land acquisition for agricultural purposes only.”
Ubru observed that the state government,, by an executive order issued by the state governor, Dr Peter Mbah, in 2024, committed to international best practices in agricultural land acquisition.
“By the Executive Order No. 001 of 2024 on the Framework for Responsible and Inclusive Land Intensive Agriculture (FRILIA) signed by the state governor, Dr Peter Mbah, the state government
had committed itself to international best practices in land acquisition for agricultural purposes,” he stressed.
It would be recalled that an online medium had published a report falsely accusing Governor Peter Mbah of moves to buy off some ancestral lands in Eha-Amufu community in Isi-Uzo LGA and hand it over to non-indigenous herders for settlement.
The group also alleged that Governor Mbah had paid the sum of N30 billion to some leaders of Eha-Amufu community to secure the release their communal lands to the said herders for settlement.
Ubru however urged the people of the state to discountenance the report, describing it as “completely fake and mischievous ,” adding that “being a responsible and people-focused government, this administration would not undermine or short-change its people under any guise.”
The commissioner stated that the Executive Order had ensured transparency in land acquisition with the consent of the people and to the benefit of all within the same community.
He noted that the Executive Order is a public document that anyone may read in electronic or hard copy to understand how open and transparent Governor Peter Mbah’s visions and objectives are regarding land acquisition for agricultural purposes..
“The Executive Order ensures that land acquisition and resettlement for large-scale agribusiness investments are undertaken in line with international best practices and guaranteed shared benefits between private investors and host communities.
“The Government of Enugu State is desirous of deepening the state’s agribusiness reforms including delivering a win-win approach to all the relevant stakeholders on agricultural land matters and investment opportunities.
“The FRILIA Executive Order will enhance access to large-scale investments, gainful employment on large-scale farms, sufficient income, and protection from the volatility of agricultural labour and product markets.
“The Framework will ensure adherence to guiding principles covering overarching investment, recognition and protection of land rights, state land acquisition and resettlement, environmental and social responsibility,” he said.
The commissioner noted that in order to achieve the government’s objective of creating an enabling, responsible and inclusive business operating environment for large-scale agribusiness investments in Enugu State through FRILIA, the state government set up other mechanisms to back it up.
“The state government established the FRILIA Steering and Technical Committees with clearly defined functions and powers.
“Others are the establishment of a grievance redress mechanism; and development and adoption of FRILIA Toolkits/Guidelines/Policies or Equivalent,” he added.
Ubru said that Governor Mbah, being a leader with vision, had clear intentions and programmes to grow the GDP of the state from $4 billion to $30 billion.
He noted that the governor had taken time and opportunities to explain his vision of uplifting the people of the state out of poverty.
The Enugu State Government has warned members of the public, particularly individuals and companies involved in equipment leasing to exercise due diligence before leasing their equipments for illegal activities.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Enugu by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof Chidiebere Onyia, the government said it would not hesitate to impound and auction any equipment leased to individuals or companies engaging in illegal activities that may impact government assets or interests such as construction, mining, agriculture, and others.
The statement further advised leasing companies to exercise due diligence in their search about companies and individuals and the purpose of leasing before releasing their equipments and other tools to them.
“Entities or persons that are engaging in leasing of equipments are obligated, as imposed duties, to approach appropriate government agencies and carry out background checks on the authenticity and authority of any person or company to engage in construction activities, agriculture, mining or any other activity that may impact government property or interest.
“Failure to carry out due diligence before leasing out equipments which turn out to be deployed for fraudulent activities will attract severe consequences as impounded vehicles, equipments and other materials will be auctioned,” the statement read.
Recall that the state government had previously lamented the illegal activities of some unscrupulous elements operating in the state without authorization, stressing the environmental and climate impact of the activities.
Foods
Twisco, Cowbell Choco & Miksi Choco World Chocolate Day Campaign Create Delightful Memories for Families
REPORTER: Sandra Ani
World Chocolate Day 2024 took on a delicious new meaning as the Promasidor brands – Miksi Chocolate, Cowbell Chocolate, and Twisco – brought lots of excitement for many chocolate lovers in Nigeria.
The World Chocolate Day 2024 celebration was Twisco, Cowbell Choco and Miksi Choco’s way of celebrating Chocolate in Nigeria, through recreational activities, fun games, painting and relaxation.
This year’s edition took place on Sunday May 7, 2024, in several locations across Nigeria, Ikeja City Mall, Circle Mall Lekki, Asaba Mall, Jabi Mall Abuja and PHC Mall.
Speaking, Lillian Omorenuwa, the brand manager for Beverage Category at Promasidor said “We’re excited to celebrate World Chocolate Day with kids and moms. Our powdered Choco beverages are the perfect way to indulge in the rich, velvety goodness of chocolate. We want everyone to “Get Your Choco On” while making the day a chocolate-filled celebration to remember”.
The incredible event demonstrated the brands’ dedication to injecting joy and excitement into Nigerian homes, even amidst challenging economic times.
It also underscored the versatility and health advantages of chocolate, especially Choco beverages, while offering a plethora of enjoyable activities such as a bouncy castle, face painting, puzzles, and more.
Commenting on the event, Olutayo Olukayode, one of the parents who graced the event commended the company for bringing such a relief and fun packed activities for the children. “I am impressed by what is going on here, although I came around for something else, and I saw this event going on because I came with my children. We should give credit to the organisers, particularly we enjoyed Twisco, Cowbell Choco and Miksi Choco delicacies.
Also speaking, Femi Oludele, another parent at the event noted that “Cowbell is celebrating World’s Chocolate Day, and creating awareness that there is a day specially marked out for people to celebrate chocolate day. It is good gesture from the brands to the children and everyone. This will allow the children to cool off stress and may also avail the parents and guardian also the opportunity to relax their nerves. So, it is a good and welcome development, and we thank Promasidor for Organizing it”.
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