Delta government says it will partner with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Agriculture Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) to fashion out its comprehensive agricultural policy.
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The Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr. Julius Egbedi, said this when officials of IFPRI and ARCN paid him a courtesy visit in Asaba.
Egbedi, however, noted that the state’s current agricultural policy was a product of Partnership Initiative in the Niger Delta (PIND).
He said that the ministry would give the necessary backing to IFPRI and ARCN to enable them to have a good working environment and improve the state’s agricultural policy.
“Whether we like it or not, agriculture will be the mainstay of the economy of the country in the near future.
“As it is now, the price of oil is going down and it will not stay forever, but in agriculture, you can continue to plant and replant,” he said.
The commissioner commended IFPRI and ARCN for the training it planned to organize for farmers and other stakeholders in the state so as to improve service delivery and performance.
Earlier, the personnel in charge of Monitoring and Evaluation Personnel in IFPRI, Mr. Fasoranti Adetunji, and the Project Management Specialist of ARCN, Dr. Gabriel Malomo said they were in the state to organize a three-day workshop for farmers on monitoring and evaluation.
They expressed optimism that the workshop would translate to service delivery on the part of the state ministry of agriculture, adding that ministry was a key stakeholder in the project.
Adetunji said that the mandate of IFPRI was to work with key stakeholders to improve on their service delivery, efficiency and performance.