News in brief: Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, plans to allocate thousands of hectares of land in each senatorial zone for cash crops cultivation, with a focus on boosting agriculture as a foreign exchange earner. He also intends to establish a cargo-focused airline and an ultra-modern warehouse for perishable goods at its international airport to facilitate exports.
Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has announced plans to provide 300,000 hectares of land in each senatorial zone for the cultivation of cash crops for export.
In a report by ThisDay newspaper, the governor’s statement was directed at members of the Aviacargo Roadmap Committee, who visited him at the Government House, Enugu.
The committee was set up by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to put plans in place that will make Nigeria the primary cargo destination in Africa
Mbah assured them that he has already kickstarted plans to develop agriculture as a major source of foreign exchange earner for the state. His plan includes building an ultra-modern warehouse for the storage and processing of farm perishables at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, which his administration is collaborating with the FAAN to acheive.
He added that the state government will establish an airline that will focus on cargo freighting and passenger service. The governor said he has set a target of 15 months to establish the airline and get it ready for certification by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Mbah has said that his administration is committed to boosting the state’s revenue, creating jobs, and building associated infrastructure that will enable it to become a net exporter of different types of farm produce.
Establishing a cargo-focused airline would allow Enugu to export its produce directly to international markets, bypassing the need to go through intermediaries.
It is important to note that while Mbah’s promises appear to be practical, Enugu state has a total land area of 7,161 km² (or 716,000 hectares). Thus, with its three senatorial districts, the governor seem to be promising to convert more lands than make up the state, into farms. It is not clear if this is a error in the original report or a mistatement by Mba himself.
Recall that some weeks back, the governor had announced plans to cultivate cassava crops on 100,000 hectares in the state as well.
