2020 WORLD FOOD DAY: Delta Reiterates  Commitment to Ensuring Food Security

By Grace Eshedagho

Delta State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hon. Julius Egbedi has reiterated the Delta State Government’s determination to ensure food security for all Deltans despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hon. Egbedi stated this during a training workshop organised to mark the 2020 World Food Day Celebration at the Delta Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (DARDA), Ibusa.

According to Hon. Egbedi, “The State Government has increased his commitment to the agriculture sector by the development of several emergency projects and programmes as palliatives measures in the State’s COVID-19 Recovery Plans.”

The agriculture commissioner, who was represented by the Director, Planning Research and Statistic, Mrs Stella Egedi called on farmers and stakeholders to join hands with the State Government to achieve a Stronger Delta.

He stated that the World Food Day was celebrated every year to draw attention to the problems of food and agriculture and to consolidate in the struggle to eradicate hunger, malnutrition and poverty.

The commissioner revealed that the theme of this year’s celebration, “Grow, Nourish, Sustain Together’ was apt as, adding: “It is aimed at sensitizing Deltans on the need to come together to ensure that the suffering and negative impacts of COVID-19 pandemic is quickly arrested to avoid food insecurity.”

“With your cooperation, I can boldly say that Delta State is poised to overcome all fears of food insecurity as being associated and predicted with COVID-19 and post COVID-19 effects” he stated.

Speaking at the training workshop, the Assistant Chief Dietician, Federal Medical Center, Asaba, Dr Chukwuemeka Odo, advised that Nigerians should cultivate the culture of eating healthy and nutritional food, saying such food cost less.

“Many of us think that to eat healthy food is for the big man, no, eating healthy depend on the knowledge, knowing how to combine different food. We have alternatives, if you don’t have access to chicken or fish you have access to other food that give the same protein or money to buy a cup of beans which contain protein that meat or fish would have given you,” Dr Chukwuemeka stated.

Also speaking, a participant at the workshop, Mr John Emeni, an oil palm farmer, stated that he learnt a lot from the workshop and it had widened his knowledge of the different kind of food to eat, saying that he would cascade the same knowledge to those around him.

Mr Emeni appealed to the state government to redouble its efforts in the various agricultural programmes, explaining that the flood and other factors that affected farmers might lead to food shortage in the future if not tackled now.

Present at the training workshop were the Director, Delta State Veterinary Services, Dr Charles Diai, represented by Mr Augustine Ojogbo; Director Fishery, Mrs Uju Osadebe; the Programme Manager, DARDA, Mr Edwin Odiete and Chief Ben Okobaroh, retired Programme Manager, Delta State Agricultural Development Programme (ADP), among others.