Delta State's Governor Okowa announces ambitious plans to export gari and plantain flour to the UK

GOVERNOR Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has announced ambitious plans to start exporting plantain and gari flour to the UK as part of an economic diversification programme aimed at reducing the state's dependency on crude oil.

Delta is one of Nigeria's main crude oil producing states and along with Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Bayelsa sates, it accounts for 80% of output. However, with oil prices falling and poised to drop further as demand plummets, Nigeria is looking to diversify her economy and look for other sources of revenue.

Speaking in Asaba, the state capital on World Food Day, Governor Okowa noted that the state has  a comparative advantage and ranked best within the country  in the production of  plantain and gari, a by-product of cassava. He said the theme of  the day Change the Future of Migration, Invest in Food Security and Rural Development, was  in line with the state government’s agricultural empowerment programme.

According to Dr Okowa, the world over the last few years has recorded great migration of people, particularly the youths, from the rural to urban centres in search of jobs, safety and security. He said that the incident of migration had remained a global challenge and a threat to agriculture.

Governor Okowa said: “Plans are at advanced stage to ensure that Delta joins agricultural crop exporters and we are looking at the possibility of exporting red and  white gari and plantain flour to the UK.  The export programme will facilitate and improve agricultural production activities in the rural areas in respect of cassava production and plantain thereby reversing the trend of rural-urban migration.

"Some 75% of the state population reside  in the rural communities and this administration has put up programmes to develop youths and women through agricultural empowerment programmes. We are creating an enabling environment for our rural farmers through rural electrification, water and beautification projects across the 25 local government areas of the state."

He pointed out that rural urban migration is a threat to food security and as the youths migrate to the urban centres they leave farming to the elderly and aged farmers in the rural areas. In addition, the governor also said the solution  to the challenge was  in the provision of farming methods to attract youths as well as provision of lands  and other incentives to the farmers while boosting rural development.