By Emem Idio, Yenagoa

The Bayelsa State government has expressed its desire to maximize the different specialize opportunities and technical services available at the state owned Niger Delta University, NDU, to improve agriculture and food security agriculture in the state.

The Commissioner for Agriculture, Prof Beke Sese stated this in his office when the management staff of the university led by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Allen Agih, visited him in his office to congratulate him on his appointment as commissioner of Agricultural and to solicit partnership and collaboration between the university and the state government in the area of agriculture.

Prof Sese, who commended the management team of the university where he served as an academic staff for the visit, pointed out that the state government will collaborate with the university in the areas of training and research and in utilizing its expertise in the area of improved seeds, seedling, stems and sucker multiplication for farmers.

The commissioner who was flanked by the permanent secretary and other principal staff of the ministry noted that the clear mandate of the state governor to the ministry is to ensure that there is abundant food to feed the populace, as the state is blessed with fertile lands and human capital.

He said: “When you talk of agriculture, the relevance of NDU cannot be overemphasized, the university has a teaching and research farm, even before their visit there has been some level of partnership. Every year researches are carried out in universities and it is meant to improve agriculture and new ways of farming.

“We suffer as a result of flooding every year and when its happens, we lose all our suckers, seeds and seedlings and stems, and in NDU there is serious efforts to ensure that we multiply suckers and stems , and if there is that collaboration it will now impact maximally in agricultural development in the state, NDU is in that process.”

In his earlier remarks, the Vice Chancellor of Niger Delta University, Prof Allen Agih, commended Governor Douye Diri for appointing a seasoned agriculturist as the commissioner for agriculture and expressed expectations that the appointment will improved the fortunes of the agricultural sector in the state.

He said the institution is ready to collaborate with the state government in the areas of reviving some government owned under-utilized facilities and farms, seedlings, stems and suckers multiplication, training, and other expertise to improve agricultural services and food security.