Besides coal, Enugu was noted for rice cultivation with communities such as Ugbawka and Adani, in Nkanu East and Uzo Uwani local government areas respectively, attaining fame that drew thousands from distant locations to their weekly markets. It was this prevalence that gave rise to the establishing of Adarice which enriched families and state coffers in its heyday. But rice cultivation would eventually experience the fate suffered by virtually every vital crop as oil began its ascendant climb in our lives. In a blip, the halcyon days of rice cultivation were over. Vast tracts of farmlands that once bore rice paddies lay abandoned as farming increasingly seemed like a halfhearted pastime. Worse still, the fortune of the once flourishing Adarice experienced a swift plunge down the cliff, thus becoming another victim of Nigeria’s oil boom years.

The end of the boom however brought a rude awakening as it soon emerged that the earnings from the commodity’s sale were barely sufficient to run the affairs of state across the federation. It was a dawning reality aptly captured by the Enugu State governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, at his budget presentation to the state’s legislators on December 23, 2016: “Since 2015, the revenue accruing to the state from the Federation Account has been on decline and the need to increase our internally-generated revenue cannot be overemphasized. The state is working hard to grow our internally-generated revenue up to 50 percent of our total revenue.”

The governor had earlier echoed such pragmatism in his inaugural speech. “I believe that this is another great opportunity for Enugu State and Nigeria to look inwards and harness those potential, which free oil money, has blinded us from exploiting,” he said in reference to the declining monthly disbursement. “It is an opportunity to live to our full potential and leave the feeding bottles of the federalism syndrome.”

Looking inwards meant reviving those economic activities which petrodollars had pushed to the background. The declaration to look inwards wasn’t mere platitudes; Ugwuanyi expressly matched rhetoric with action. He has since his inauguration done a lot to create an investor-friendly climate in the state which have consistently yielded positive results as evident in Enugu State’s impressive performance on several socio-economic index. The Enugu State Investment Summit held in April 2016 is a project consistent with the desire to earn the private sector’s confidence and showcase the state’s potential as a blossoming investors’ haven.

The planned privatization of Adarice and 16 other state-owned corporations is also a consequence of the determination to grow Enugu’s economy substantially and make it less reliant on the depleting federal lifeline. A major beneficiary of this renewed commitment to vigorously exploit the state’s economic strengths has been agribusiness. The result, not surprisingly, has been most telling in rice production.

As one of the leading rice producers in Nigeria, Enugu State has recorded a steady output increase. From a yield of 1.5t/ha rice output has grown to an impressive 4t/ha – 5.6t/ha. Last year, over 600,000 hectares were cultivated resulting in the estimated total production of 1,800,000mt.

[These promising indices in rice cultivation have earned Enugu State a Staple Crops Processing Zone status, a project conceived by the African Development Bank in collaboration with the federal government to support states with huge potential in staple crops’ production and which has paid the Programme’s requisite counterpart fund. This is in addition to the construction of six Centre Pivot Irrigation systems in some communities to enable rice farmers to cultivate the crop twice or thrice in a year, and procurement of 20 tractors leased out to grassroots farmers at knockdown rate.

The government has also launched the Agricultural Feeder Roads projects totaling 46.89 kilometres in 12 communities across the three senatorial zones where rice is grown, a point that further highlights the inextricable link between the state of roads and the economic condition of farmers.

Happily, soon the benefits of the silent agricultural revolution will be apparent both statistically and in a concrete sense. And the applause then – like the many confounding economic feats recorded against the odds – will stir an applause more resounding than there would otherwise be had there been an undue publicity.

*Ani, formerly Editor of Saturday ThisDay and later Saturday Telegraph, is Senior Special Assistant on Research and Communication to the Enugu State Governor. He could be followed on Twitter @AniLaurence.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/03/enugus-silent-agricultural-revolution/


I shortened the article because I thought it was too long. The important details I highlighted. Other than that I would recommend text to speach app to listen to these type of articles.

Good one ugwuanyi

That's what we are yearning for

Not blaming the center for everything

Blue3k:


Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/03/enugus-silent-agricultural-revolution/


I shortened the article because I thought it was too long. The important details I highlighted. Other than that I would recommend text to speach app to listen to these type of articles.

Observing

There's a pattern of failure with these state run corporations. How exactly does oil make unrelated industry stop being productive. Texas discovered oil but didn't abandon farming or ranching. It's could help explain why coal mines aren't active. Nigeria should sell those companies off and let market takeover. Fun fact Nasarawa and Gombe produce more coal than Enugu and Benue with high quality coal reserves.

I'm glad the state selling off these corporations. Private sector development way to go along with infastrure development. Subsidizing equipment cost and irrigation really seemed to boast productivity.

But rice cultivation would eventually experience the fate suffered by virtually every vital crop as oil began its ascendant climb in our lives. In a blip, the halcyon days of rice cultivation were over. Vast tracts of farmlands that once bore rice paddies lay abandoned as farming increasingly seemed like a halfhearted pastime.

The planned privatization of Adarice and 16 other state-owned corporations is also a consequence of the determination to grow Enugu’s economy substantially and make it less reliant on the depleting federal lifeline.

Blue3k:
There's a pattern of failure with these state run corporations. How exactly does oil make unrelated industry stop being productive. Texas discovered oil but didn't abandon farming or ranching. It's could help explain why coal mines aren't active. Nigeria should sell those companies off and let market takeover. Fun fact Nasarawa and Gombe produce more coal than Enugu and Benue with high quality coal reserves.

I'm glad the state selling off these corporations. Private sector development way to go along with infastrure development. Subsidizing equipment cost and irrigation really seemed to boast productivity.

Food for thought

Nice one boss

It doesn't seem like much of an exaggeration to say that, Enugu state has quietly ascertain a level of development without media hype. Kudos to the government and good people of Enugu state.

These lies have to stop in this country, we give figures that are not in line with reality, sorry to say the Mediocre Piggy
at Enugu and his imps use falsehood to deceive the people

As one of the leading rice producers in Nigeria, Enugu State has recorded a steady output increase. From a yield of 1.5t/ha rice output has grown to an impressive 4t/ha – 5.6t/ha. Last year, over 600,000 hectares were cultivated resulting in the estimated total production of 1,800,000mt.

A good Look at this figure would reveal it's impossible to achieve, first 600,000 Hectares is 6,000Km2, Total landmass for
Enugu is approx 7,700 Km2, are these fools telling us that 80% of Enugu land is Under rice production, any one who has been to
Enugu knows this is a lie, second part, if yield is 4-5.6 ton/HA, then total production would be higher than 1.8 million tons

This stupidity is replicated across most states, which why dimwits like garba shehu,Emefiele,ogbeh,ganduje can quote
amazing figures which do not Reflect in FAO stats,

No Nation can develop on LIES and FALSEHOOD

PoolBuilder:
These lies have to stop in this country, we give figures that are not in line with reality, sorry to say the Mediocre Piggy
at Enugu and his imps use falsehood to deceive the people



A good Look at this figure would reveal it's impossible to achieve, first 600,000 Hectares is 6,000Km2, Total landmass for
Enugu is approx 7,700 Km2, are these fools telling us that 80% of Enugu land is Under rice production, any one who has been to
Enugu knows this is a lie, second part, if yield is 4-5.6 ton/HA, then total production would be higher than 1.8 million tons

This stupidity is replicated across most states, which why dimwits like garba shehu,Emefiele,ogbeh,ganduje can quote
amazing figures which do not Reflect in FAO stats,

No Nation can develop on LIES and FALSEHOOD

Spotted

Thumbs up gburugburu.

PoolBuilder:
These lies have to stop in this country, we give figures that are not in line with reality, sorry to say the Mediocre Piggy
at Enugu and his imps use falsehood to deceive the people



A good Look at this figure would reveal it's impossible to achieve, first 600,000 Hectares is 6,000Km2, Total landmass for
Enugu is approx 7,700 Km2, are these fools telling us that 80% of Enugu land is Under rice production, any one who has been to
Enugu knows this is a lie, second part, if yield is 4-5.6 ton/HA, then total production would be higher than 1.8 million tons

This stupidity is replicated across most states, which why dimwits like garba shehu,Emefiele,ogbeh,ganduje can quote
amazing figures which do not Reflect in FAO stats,

No Nation can develop on LIES and FALSEHOOD

you know nothing about enugu rice farming, its only ebonyi that can compete favorably with Enugu in the south east and south south.
We ain't noise makers brother, my local government alone Aninri where Ekweremadu is from is a major rice producer, go to nkanu nomeh precisely, go to uzouwani, these are major rice hubs in enugu

Customer80:
you know nothing about enugu rice farming, its only ebonyi that can compete favorably with Enugu in the south east and south south.
We ain't noise makers brother, my local government alone Aninri where Ekweremadu is from is a major rice producer, go to nkanu nomeh precisely, go to uzouwani, these are major rice hubs in enugu

Bia, did you read to reply or did you read to Understand, if we add the whole land area of Aninri, Nkanu east and west, and Uzo uwani,
would it be up to 600,000 hectares.

It is not about being noise makers, but about Telling lies and deception,do you realize , if we consider this useless report as true, then
there would be only rice farms in Aninri, no palm trees,no cashew , no houses , i am quite sure you are less dense..than lawrence Ani

PoolBuilder:


Bia, did you read to reply or did you read to Understand, if we add the whole land area of Aninri, Nkanu east and west, and Uzo uwani,
would it be up to 600,000 hectares.

It is not about being noise makers, but about Telling lies and deception,do you realize , if we consider this useless report as true, then
there would be only rice farms in Aninri, no palm trees,no cashew , no houses , i am quite sure you are less dense..than lawrence Ani

I used those lbs as example doesn't mean other lgas aren't rice producing, it only ebony that can compete with enugu in rice farming in south east and south south. The only area ebonyi does better is milling except that they don't produce rice more than enugu

... No single picture to show for such an outstanding achievement? Mechanized agriculture is the surest way to safeguard our future. Think green, think about agriculture!

PoolBuilder:
These lies have to stop in this country, we give figures that are not in line with reality, sorry to say the Mediocre Piggy
at Enugu and his imps use falsehood to deceive the people



A good Look at this figure would reveal it's impossible to achieve, first 600,000 Hectares is 6,000Km2, Total landmass for
Enugu is approx 7,700 Km2, are these fools telling us that 80% of Enugu land is Under rice production, any one who has been to
Enugu knows this is a lie, second part, if yield is 4-5.6 ton/HA, then total production would be higher than 1.8 million tons

This stupidity is replicated across most states, which why dimwits like garba shehu,Emefiele,ogbeh,ganduje can quote
amazing figures which do not Reflect in FAO stats,

No Nation can develop on LIES and FALSEHOOD

You did not read the part where they said they provided irrigation facilities so that there can be multiple farming seasons per year

Blue3k:
There's a pattern of failure with these state run corporations. How exactly does oil make unrelated industry stop being productive. Texas discovered oil but didn't abandon farming or ranching. It's could help explain why coal mines aren't active. Nigeria should sell those companies off and let market takeover. Fun fact Nasarawa and Gombe produce more coal than Enugu and Benue with high quality coal reserves.

I'm glad the state selling off these corporations. Private sector development way to go along with infastrure development. Subsidizing equipment cost and irrigation really seemed to boast productivity.

That is the ojoro happening in Nigeria, Dangote is mining coal in those states with minor coal deposit for his off-grid captive power at his cement factory but Enugu will not be allowed to mine its coal and generated power for Enugu's industrial zones