Enugu State Government has stated that its partnership with the Federal Government on cassava for bioethanol production was yielding desired results, saying it is intensifying cassava cultivation in the state to boost the economy while addressing unemployment and insecurity.
State Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation, Mr Patrick Ubru, made this known at Okpanku in Aninri Council, while conducting the Federal Government’s delegation on an inspection tour of cassava-bioethanol projects in Aninri and Udi councils of the state, at the weekend.
Ubru informed the delegation, comprising officials of the Federal Ministry of Budget, Economic and National Planning, the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, and Prof Ken Ife, the promoter of Biosources and Technology Ltd, a private sector investor in cassava-bioethanol production in the state, of the cultivation of over one thousand hectares of cassava farms in the three council areas last year for the pilot phase of the cassava-bioethanol project.
Addressing female cooperative farmers after inspecting the farms at Okpanku in Aninri, the leader of the Federal Government delegation, Mr Olaifa Fatai, commended the state government for empowering women to participate in agriculture, encouraging them to take advantage of the support programmes from the state and the Federal Governments.
