Anambra State has received order from some business men to supply them with a N300 million worth of rice.

The Commissioner for Agriculture, Mechanisation and Export, Mr. Afam Mbanefo,

announced the development today during the flag-off of disbursement of inputs to FADAMA rice farmers in Awka.

He called on rice farmers to endeavour to increase their yield, saying that the State Government was prepared to provide them with the necessary support to achieve the desired objective.

The input vouchers received by the farmers would cover fertilizer, chemicals, seeds, among other needs.

About 2,270 farmers from over 100 clusters in various parts of the state received the disbursement, which was 50 percent of the required input for the farming season. The affected farmers are expected to provide the balance of 50 percent.

The commissioner noted that the expectation of the Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, is to export Anambra rice to Europe in the near future, adding that some African countries are also making enquiries about Anambra rice.

He said: “It was for that reason that the state government had targeted the production of 360000 metric tonnes of rice to meet the local and export demands.

“Our governor does not joke with agriculture as he is always concerned with how farmers would be encouraged to improve agricultural yield in the state. The governor’s ultimate objective is to make Anambra the largest producer of rice in the country and with the support he is giving the farmers our state will soon achieve that objective.”

While assuring the farmers of ready market for all their produce, Mbanefo advised them to apply the knowledge acquired during various training programmes to ensure that the required standard was maintained.

•Photo shows Governor Obiano.