Etinan ARISE Tomatoe Model Farm Records Bumper Harvest In First Planting Season
The Etinan ARISE Model Farm located within the premises of Etinan Sports stadium has yielded huge revenue for the Council following massive harvest of fresh tomatoes.
The Council is cultivating vegetable crops such as cucumber, pepper, tomatoes and sweet corn on three hectares of farm land in line with the ARISE Agenda of the state government.
Speaking exclusively with newsmen at the farm during harvest, the Director of Agriculture in the Council, Mr Emmanuel Isong, commended the Chairman of Council for keying into the ARISE Agenda of the state government with agriculture as a major item.
Mr. Isong described agriculture as a very lucrative and profittable venture that provides food, revenue and also create jobs for the people.
“A man that has food on his table will not commit suicide and one basket of tomatoes is sold for fifty thousand naira only (N50,000.00). If a farmer has 10 basket, is that not five hundred thousand naira into his pocket? Don’t forget this harvest will be repeated after three to four days”
He also hinted that the Council had harvested cucumber in two batches from a section of the farm and will begin the next phase of cucumber cultivation in September.
He commended the Chairman, Hon Uko Umoh, FCLMI, for his interest in agricultural development in Etinan during his tenure recalling that, the last time the Council ventured into commercial agriculture was more than 20 years ago during the tenure of Late Rt.Hon Aniedi Ikpong King.
Mr. Emmanuel Isong assured the Council that the next phase of cultivation which is starting in September with the cucumber section will yield more profit because the Council will no longer go into land preparation which include ploughing as well as staking which are all capital intensive.
“Our pepper was badly affected by the intensity of rain fall, that was why we introduced sweet corn which will be harvested by November. By the second week of September, we will begin the re-planting of cucumber and tomatoes by October. The chairman is visionary because agriculture remains the main stay of our economy” he added.
Receiving the Etinan ARISE model farm consultant, Mrs Aniekan Ekong, at the Council Secretariat, the Chairman, Hon Uko Umoh commended the team for translating his vision into tangible result.
He assured them that there was no going back on the agricultural revolution in Etinan local government area and called on village heads to donate land for the council to invest in commercial agriculture.
