[size=14pt]Agriculture: Amaechi And Songhai Farm Revolution In Rivers[/size]
SATURDAY, 30 JULY 2011 00:00 BY IBUKUNOLUWA KAYODE NEWS

THE economy of Rivers State just got bigger with the establishment of a Songhai farm covering over 314 hectares of land. Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, introduced the initiative after studying the Songhai Centre in Porto Novo, Benin Republic. The farm located at Bunu-Tai/Ban-Ogoi in Tai Local Council of the State is one of the Amaechi administration’s projects aimed at employment generation and promoting the state’s food security.

The Songhai Rivers initiative farm (SRIF), which is 20 times the size of its prototype in Porto Novo, has since its establishment recorded huge success in its operations.

A good number of Rivers people, mostly youths have benefitted from the government’s scholarship programme at the Songhai training institute in Benin Republic while others have been trained internally to work at the SRIF, fulfilling part of the goals of the initiative.

Such goals include creating employment opportunities for the people, promoting enterprise development especially amongst the younger generation, promoting research in new agricultural techniques and varieties, encouraging skills transfer and adopting appropriate technology by local farmers. Others are enhancing

agricultural production and value addition, building interest in commercial farming and facilitating agro-tourism in the State.

Another major aim is to diversify the economy of Rivers State by slightly moving away from dependence on Oil and Gas, encourage export and serve as a model for developing rural cities in the state as well as make the state the centre of Agro- based export free zone.

The Songhai Rivers initiative farm is an integration of Livestock, Aquaculture and Agro-tourism. The Centre is designed as a place of excellence for training, production, research, demonstration and development of sustainable agricultural practices. It is tipped to become the number one hub of agricultural development in the country.

Prior to commencement of work at the farm in 2010, the Amaechi administration had dispatched to the Songhai International Centre in Benin Republic a group of 105 young Rivers men and women from the 23 Local Councils of the state to receive an 18-month training in various specialised agriculture and agro-based areas and imbibe an entrepreneurial culture.

Fifty trainees out of the number have already been absorbed in the farm as first set of workers who will have the opportunity to run their own farm units, sharpen their entrepreneurial skills and eventually set up and manage their own businesses with support from the centre.

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56068:agriculture-amaechi-and-songhai-farm-revolution-in-rivers&catid=3:metro&Itemid=558

Amechi strictly following Fashola's footsteps.

Why are you equating this wayo story with Fashola?

Good news for the people of Rivers state.

Eko Ile:

Why are you equating this[b] wayo story with Fashola?[/b]

You mean your lord and savior?.

aloy-emeka:

You mean your lord and savior?.

What ever terminology that makes you sound silly, it makes no difference to me, just quit rubbishing the man's name with wayo wayo stories.

You should be able to stand on your own 2 feet with your shady stories without leaning on Fashola.

^^ Please don't fight!

I am happy to read something like this and I can't wait to see exactly how people can get more employment, make more money, export farm produce, create industries around whatever this farm grows and if it is food crops, I want some from this farm when next I come to Naija, no kidding!

CyberG:

^^ Please don't fight!

I am happy to read something like this and I can't wait to see exactly how people can get more employment, make more money, export farm produce, create industries around whatever this farm grows and if it is food crops, I want some from this farm when next I come to Naija, no kidding!

Don't sweat it, they are basically talking about some poultry capable of making 80 million naira a year, nothing different from other poultries out there that are even producing way more eggs than what these wayo people are y
yelling about as if they just found the secret to slice bread.

Buzz words like massive, booming, huge job creation are inserted just to needlessly aggrandize

This is the link from the state's website,


http://www.riversstate.gov.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=166:rivers-songhai-farm-harvests-400-crates-of-eggs-daily-in-ogoniland-targets-n80m-annually&catid=2:front-page&Itemid=44

400 crates daily means the birds are a little above 19000 birds using 70% production index. that is a small farm. several of my customers ve such facilities. though it's is over 35 million naira to operate capacity. 4 a state govt, such project should not be use to brag about. animal care in ogere ve well over 1 million laying birds

jimmysho:

400 crates daily means the birds are a little above 19000 birds using 70% production index. that is a small farm. several of my customers ve such facilities. though it's is over 35 million naira to operate capacity. 4 a state govt, such project should not be use to brag about. animal care in ogere ve well over 1 million laying birds

yes because the songhai farm initiative is just a poultry,

Eko Ile:


What ever terminology that makes you sound silly, it makes no difference to me, just quit rubbishing the man's name with wayo wayo stories.

You should be able to stand on your own 2 feet with your shady stories without leaning on Fashola.

eko ile where are those abbattoirs

.

Now, I'm not asking you to stop bringing up you silly nonsense, but just know that I'll finish it for you.

Interesting.

beautufl abattoirs, yet lagos floods,

Good move but is this really a farm revolution?

phantom:

beautufl abattoirs, yet lagos floods,

This are two different things. why relate them ?

http://www.naijablog.co.uk/2006/08/isheri-abattoir_18.html

Beautiful ISHERI Abattoir in Port Harcourt Rivers State.

To know that the Songhai centre was set up by a Nigerian and to know how little the initiative is borrowed by Nigerian governments but recognised internationally is saddening. For Amaechi to borrow this initiative is commendable.

I was about to celebrate with Rivers State people until I read Eko Ile's posts. Gov. Amaechi, you can do more than this!! It's a start, but you can do a lot better.

Meanwhile, I thought the article says the project is on over 300 hectares of land? Something just doesn't add up - So much land, so little production.

grabdbull:

I was about to celebrate with Rivers State people until I read Eko Ile's posts. Gov. Amaechi, you can do more than this!! It's a start, but you can do a lot better.

Meanwhile, I thought the article says the project is on over 300 hectares of land? Something just doesn't add up - So much land, so little production.

;Dyou read ekoile's post and have drawn your conclusions??please i wish you could visit the place.

Eko Ile:

Don't sweat it, they are basically talking about some poultry capable of making 80 million naira a year, nothing different from other poultries out there that are even producing way more eggs than what these wayo people are y
yelling about as if they just found the secret to slice bread.

Buzz words like massive, booming, huge job creation are inserted just to needlessly aggrandize

This is the link from the state's website,


http://www.riversstate.gov.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=166:rivers-songhai-farm-harvests-400-crates-of-eggs-daily-in-ogoniland-targets-n80m-annually&catid=2:front-page&Itemid=44

the truth is that nothing Ameachi can do to please people like you since he's not fashola. Unlike fashola, Ameachi is working hard by laying the right foundations that will alter the rapid deuelopment of Rivers state if future government will continue from where he (ameachi) stopped but Fashola is building on the foundations laid by past government before his. You guys should leave Ameachi alone.

Let give credit where it is due. Rotimi is a good governor. I was in PH in 2008 and 2010 and i could surely tell the difference.

DeCleff:

the truth is that nothing Ameachi can do to please people like you since he's not fashola. Unlike fashola, Ameachi is working hard by laying the right foundations that will alter the rapid deuelopment of Rivers state if future government will continue from where he (ameachi) stopped but Fashola is building on the foundations laid by past government before his. You guys should leave Ameachi alone.

no mind them, i understand that we as a people have been raped by our leaders over the years but it does'nt mean we should'nt be patient with a leader everyone thinks is trying his best to make a change.Yes amaechi can be very arrogant but the truth is i have not seen a leader in this state who really wanted to make a change like this man wants to,Lets be patient with him,

Jeez! OMG!!!

Some of those images are very disturbing!

Those grotesques in the disturbing images look like where the world has end after annihilation.

i,m from Rivers State, but between Ameachi and fashola are like two parallel line that can NEVER meet till God come, Fashola is more productive and successful than ameach,

Good job Amaechi, Amaechi and Rochas are leading the east

Ameachi is bein over hyped.abeg make we hear sometin

rivers state is in the niger delta or south-east.

i am not sure those "stone age" abattoir"pics are in PH.at any rate that sort of thing still occurs all over lagos state.

the obvious question is ;who owns the farm?

if it's the government then we can be sure it will fail.
it has to be run as a business and any relationship with government should be arms length .

i have not heard of investors and that tells me this is a scheme for theft.