By: Simeon Shodimu
As part of efforts to strengthen food security and promote all-year-round farming, the Federal Government has handed over the rehabilitated water pumping station in Ifite Ogwari, Ayamelum Local Government Area of Anambra State to the state government, a development expected to expand irrigation farming and increase rice production across the region.
The Federal Government has officially handed over the rehabilitated water pumping station in Ifite Ogwari, Anambra State, to the state government in a renewed effort to boost rice production and strengthen food security in Nigeria.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, represented by the National Programme Coordinator of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Phase One, Dr. Mohammed Arabi, urged farmers in the area to take ownership of the project to ensure its sustainability and maximise its benefits.
He described the rehabilitation of the pumping station as another milestone in the Federal Government’s drive to transform agriculture from a subsistence activity into a modern, competitive, and sustainable income-generating sector.
According to the minister, the irrigation project will open up more than 2,000 hectares of land for year-round farming, directly benefiting thousands of farmers and households within the surrounding communities.
He noted that beyond increasing food production, the scheme would stimulate rural industrialisation, create employment opportunities, empower youths, and support agribusiness activities such as processing, storage, and marketing.
The minister further explained that farmers in the area had for years depended largely on rain-fed agriculture, a situation that limited productivity and exposed farming activities to climate-related risks.
“With the full restoration of this irrigation infrastructure, farmers can now undertake multiple planting cycles annually, leading to improved yields and higher incomes,” he stated.
Also speaking, the Zonal Programme Coordinator of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda Phase One, Dr. Romanus Egba, said the pumping station would provide a steady irrigation water supply through a 40.1-kilometre lined concrete canal network serving farmlands across Ayamelum Local Government Area.
Egba noted that the development would significantly improve dry-season farming, encourage all-season agricultural production, increase crop yields, and enhance food security while boosting the income of residents, particularly farmers.
He explained that the pumping station is a critical component of the irrigation system serving the Ayamelum agricultural corridor and that its rehabilitation became necessary after years of deterioration disrupted water supply and farming activities.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Anambra Imo River Basin Development Authority, Chief Emma Anosike, commended Chukwuma Soludo for donating a 500 KVA transformer to support the facility.
Anosike assured stakeholders that qualified engineers would be deployed to the station to ensure proper maintenance and long-term sustainability of the project.
The Traditional Ruler of Ifite Ogwari, Igwe Alphonsus Ofoebe, expressed optimism that the rehabilitation of the irrigation facility would greatly enhance agricultural productivity and contribute significantly to food production in the South-East region.
