The Executive Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said the deployment of science research and ICT tools for the production of organic food crops by Contec Global Agro (CGAL), holds a great promise for Nigeria to meet its food security challenge.
Conducting the Edo State Chief Executive round the research facilities for production of tissue culture and bio-organic fertilizer plants,at the weekend, the Chairman of the company, Dr. Benoy Berry, said the outfit is committed to setting the pace in organic agriculture based on sustainable modern practices with inclusive community programmes for all categories of Nigerian farmers.
Addressing the media, after the tour, Obaseki said: “We just realized after this tour that we have such a secret in Nigeria where so much work has been done with the application of biotechnology for growing food crops a lot more organically and efficiently”
The governor acknowledged that he is impressed with the facilities that helps farmers and investors to identify the various soil types across the country and the treatment that will make the soil more productive.
According to him, using tissue culture to identify the types of plants and food crops where you can strengthen or use different scientific methods to make those plants more productive to make sure that they have higher yields is gladdening to note.
Obaseki while reiterating his administration’s commitment to partnering with the company said;
“I think we certainly want to start through piloting because part of the challenges that we have in Nigeria is that we talk about ideas. Sometimes we lament and never get to do things.
“Our strategy in Edo State is to just execute. We are here to sign up by next week to start a pilot and hopefully expand it because here we have seen and so we don’t need to talk about it but to go and do it. We are looking at cassava….banana and pineapples as Edo State has some of the best pineapples in the country”.
In a remark, Dr. Benoy Berry, said, Contec Global Agro is setting the pace in organic agriculture across the country with focus on developing sustainable agriculture with inclusive community programmes for all categories of farmers.
According to him, the company is committed to the concept of developing agriculture as a unique concept involving farmers and producers by providing agro solution and single window service providing farm inputs, support to the farmers with bio-safe fertilizers and training with the convergence of international farming practices designed to suite the local farming conditions.
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