It has been identified that the major challenge encountered by Ebonyi state government in its agriculture program has been how to get good seeds for farming purposes.
Considering this problems, the International Fund for Agricultural Development -Assisted Value Chain Development Programme, IFAD-VCDP has constructed a fully equipped testing laboratory worth N20 million in the state.
The issue according to the state government made the state suffer set back in its programs on agriculture as no one was found reliable in terms of providing seedling for the farmers.
Ebonyi state Governor chief David Umahi revealed this in Abakaliki at the official commissioning of IFAD-VCDP seed testing laboratory.
Umahi commended IFAD state coordinator for solving the state problem as he said that his new commissioner for agriculture whom he intended sending to another country for training would now be trained by IFAD.
His word:“This is a highly welcome development in the state because one of our major problems in our agricultural program has been the issue of seedling, were people are not honest again, they get anything as a seed and so we want to thank you for this initiative and I will like you to work with the acting commissioner for agriculture Sen. Onwe, the deputy governor to see how we can source for seeds.
“I have always insisted that we give seed to farmers that are willing to take seed. Some of them traditionally has been using their own seeds and it has been working for them so that we don’t buy seed because I wanted the new commissioner to go for training but I think with the state coordinator of IFAD who has been performing well and the Coordinator of FADAMA there will be no need for the new commissioner for agriculture to travel we will rather have him trained by you here in the state”.he stated
Earlier coordinator IFAD- VCDP Dr Sunday Ituma explained that setting up of the seed testing laboratory became necessary to ameliorate the problem of assessing seedlings by farmers in the state.
Dr Ituma stated that the laboratory equipment valued at the rate of 20 million naira was set up in collaboration with the National seed council of Nigeria and have been satisfied best in seed testing.
” Before now it was also a challenge in the south east for farmers to have access to laboratory to test their seed . That has been provided in rally chain to development programme provided by the seed laboratory equipment we have gotten from the United States. The equipment includes the germinator, microscope, and all and all.
“Those equipment are ready for use. All the seeds that shall be given to farmers will be subjected to test in the laboratory and it is only when those seeds are satisfied that the germination rate will be allow to our farmers. “
“It is believed that with the setting up of this seed testing laboratory, the problem of supplying adulterated seeds by seed merchant to farmers now in the state is now thing of the past” he said.
