Abuja – Mr. Okey Ezea, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Enugu has pledged to revolutionise agriculture to develop the state.
Ezea told newsmen on telephone in Abuja that he would use agriculture to improve the standard of living of Enugu people, if given the mandate in 2015.
He also promised that his government would base its policies on the principles of comparative advantage.
“One of the lifelines of this state is agriculture and more indigenes of Enugu state engage in agriculture than in any other endeavour.
“This state produces huge amounts of food and cash crops, hence, our decision to emphasis on improving agricultural practice to provide a better life for the people of the state,” said the flagbearer.
However, Ezea noted that a large population of the people of the state still engaged in farming through crude primitive methods.
“This is why my government will establish a specialised training institution for agricultural science and encourage large-scale introduction of mechanised training.
“In addition to this, we shall also have a holistic approach to agricultural development that would include the sourcing and distribution of improved and high-yielding seedlings to farmers,” he said.
According to him, the state has the potential to feed itself, supply agriculture produce to other parts of the country and still have enough for export.
“We shall commit enough resources to strengthen the agricultural firms we have in Enugu state such as the Adarice Production Company Ltd, United Palm Produce Ltd and Premier Cashew Industry.
“It is not acceptable for these companies to keep operating at an unacceptably low capacity, especially because we are not yet an oil producing state and must look inwards for revenue.
“So, we are going to shore up our internally generated revenue to be able to boost the agriculture sector and execute all our projects,” he said.