Ben Ezechime, Enugu
Farmers in Obimo Community Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State has called on Governor Peter Mbah to provide farming equipment including tractors to the community.
Mr Chamberlain Ugwuoke, Chairman of Farmers Association and the President of Izunwanne Obimo Multi Purpose Corporative Society, made the call in Obimo.
Ugwuoke said that this would improve the farming conditions of the farmers and ensure food security in the community and Enugu State in general.
The chairman expressed appreciation to the Enugu State Agricultural Development Programme, ENADEP for organising training for Obimo Farmers recently.
Addressing a 30- Man think-tank selected by izunwanne Obimo to look into food insecurity in the Community, Mr Ugwuoke stated that it had become necessary now that rain had started in earnest to start discussing food security in Obimo.
He noted that Obimo community people were predominantly farmers and a border town between Nsukka LGA and Uzo Uwani LGA.
“Over the years the Obimo farmers cannot cultivate around their vicinities because of cows, goats, and other animals roaming the streets of the community.
“The most worrisome is that Fulani herders have occupied most of the farmlands with their cattle, depriving Obimo farmers from going to their farms, thereby threatening the livelihood of Obimo people,” he said.
He added that cows, goats and other animals sacrificed to a deity in the community whose chief priest refused to worship because he is going to church have not helped matters.
According to him, Obimo farmers did not farm yam and cassava within the neighborhood anymore because cows and goats eat anything planted around their vicinities.
He said: “The only alternative to our farmers is to go very far away into the forest to plant such crops which as well are being threatened by monkeys, rabbits and rodents, and cows of the herder.”
Speaking, the Program Manager, Enugu Agricultural Development Programme (ENADEP) Prof Ogbonna Onyeisi, a son of Obimo, thanked Mr.Ugwuoke for initiating the meeting.
Onyeisi, said that food security was a serious issue and a great concern of Enugu State and the Federal Government.
He said that ENADEP, on her 2024 Pre-farming Season Sensitisation for Enugu State farmers had visited Obimo on 20th April, 2024, noting that the sensitisation was still going on across local governments in Enugu State for the purpose of improving food security.
Prof.Onyeisi assured Obimo people that Enugu State Governor will help them to improve food security.
