Mbah using technology to provide solutions to agricultural challenges – Commissioner

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By Iheanyi Chukwudi

Enugu State Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-Industrialisation, Dr Patrick Ubru, on Wednesday said the ongoing state’s Coldbox Store project and Integrated Greenhouses are addressing critical agricultural challenges such as seasonality, post-harvest losses and ineffective post-harvest management.

Ubru who spoke in Enugu disclosed that the programmes were technological-innovations initiated by State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah to provide solutions to agricultural challenges.

He stressed that the impact of the technological-driven agriculture was evident in the pilot Enugu Refrigerated Aggregation Center at Aguobu Iwollo, which he commissioned on behalf of the governor nine months ago.

The facility according to the Commissioner had now been integrated with two additional greenhouse clusters in the agrarian regions of Eke and Ezeagu axis of the state, forming a network for high-quality organic habanero and bale pepper production.

He also explained that that the supply chain is enabled by the Coldbox Store — a walk-in, off-grid and solar-powered refrigerated container.

Ubru said, “Additionally, open-field fruity vegetable smallholder farmers, along with livestock farmers and meat sellers, are being incorporated into the project’s cold-supply chain.

These integrations, facilitated by the state Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Industrialization, enhance the Coldbox Store’s capacity utilization and significantly expand its impact on smallholder cooperative farmers and fresh food distributors in the Udi-Ezeagu agrarian region.

Witnessing a bountiful harvest during the dry season is every farmer’s dream, and fulfilling this dream remains at the heart of our mission.

His Excellency, Gov. Peter Mbah, is deeply committed to enabling smart agro-infrastructure - including greenhouses, earth ponds, and a network of solar-powered cold-chain solutions — that empower farmers to address challenges of climate change, seasonality, post-harvest losses, and limited access to high-value markets.”

The vision he stated "is geared toward strengthening high-quality food production” to meet the demands of a growing population while positioning the state to achieve the standards required for high-value markets and fresh food exports through air freight, adding that “Our collective goal is to scale this initiative to ensure that every local government in the state benefits from greenhouse farming.

Through cross-sector partnerships, we aim to expand its reach to more communities while integrating additional value chains, such as fisheries, into greenhouse and cold-chain technology solutions.

Our mission is to drive a zero-waste, circular and sustainable agricultural transformation across Enugu State’s agrarian zones, starting with the Owo riverine area, to create lasting prosperity for all our rural farmers’ cooperatives.”