The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs Kindness Egbelu, has disclosed the reasons why Songhai Farm, Buguma Fish farm and other agricultural establiahments of the previous administration failed in the state.
She made the disclosure when the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly Committee on Agriculture visited the Ministry on oversight function.
According to her, the Songhai Farm was managed by the staff of RSSDA, who earned elephant salaries like oil company workers which she described as unsustainable.
She further said that the fish farm collapsed because the former administration deployed very high technology where fingerlings had to be imported and given oxygen to survive adding that insecurity also contributed in killing the fish farm.
The Permanent Secretary regretted that communities that donated lands to Government are beginning to agitate to take back their lands as it seemed to them that Government is no longer interested in using them.
Mrs Egbelu who called for the amendment of Agricultural laws in the state, noted that lack of sufficient veterinary doctors and clinics, importation of contaminated animal skin popularly known as kpomo which is usually preserved with formalin as well as trucks that bring in Agricultural produce to the state carrying guns underneath have posed serious problems to the sector
She however expressed hope that the ministry though has not achieved much, can do better informing that the Rivers State Government would soon release funds for the establishment of a rice processing factory and a cassava processing factory that would engage youths of the state.
