Eni : 21st NAOC / Green River Project Farmers’ Day celebration

On 11th November 2017 in Igbogene, outskirt of Yenagoa, Bayelsa's State capital, the 21st Farmers' Day gathered farmers, cooperative societies, research and education institutes, local governments and NGOs to celebrate the products of the last farming season from Bayelsa, Delta, Imo and Rivers States. The Farmers' Day Celebration is a yearly event organized by the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and its joint venture partners within the framework of the Green River Project. The GRP represents NAOC's flagship agricultural initiative established in 1987 to promote food security and poverty alleviation in the Niger Delta through the generation of employment and economic diversification.

The Farmers' Day Celebration aims to showcase the yearly farming products and services, to provide a platform for networking and exchange of ideas, and to promote the Company's commitment to rural farming in areas of operation. The 2017 event's theme, 'GRP: Actively leading the future of the Niger Delta', highlighted the contribution of the GRP in improving the living conditions of the local communities, boosting their capacities through professional training, technological support and knowledge transfer.

'For the past 30 years, the project has been a prime source of employment and it has represented an improvement for the living standards of several communities', Vice Chairman and Managing Director NAOC/AENR/NAE Mr. Massimo Insulla said during the event. The Governor of the Bayelsa State, Mr. Seriake Dickson, who was represented at the event by his deputy, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd.), said that the only route for Nigeria to achieve sustainable socio-economic development is to focus on agriculture. Mr. Marco Rotondi, General Manager District, said that in the next thirty years Nigeria will be the third largest country by population after China and India, and stressed that 'the country needs to rethink how it treats and distributes resources. Access to food will be critical. In addition, Nigeria has the impelling need to diversify its economy, which is solely relying on the O&G industry, hence the renaissance of the agricultural sector may be a real solution to the problem'.

In 2017 NAOC provided farmers with plants, seeds, fingerlings and poultry birds. The company also trained about 300 youths in agro-skills acquisition program. The company acquired 10-hectare to establish a plant propagation center in Kwale, Delta State, and inaugurated the NAOC GRP farms in Bayelsa State, to train youths, women and local farmers in the Niger Delta on agriculture, as part of its efforts to promote the development in the region. In the last five years, the GRP acreage under cultivation has grown by 37%, with the recent acquisition of new land in Kwale and Yenagoa. The GRP is an example of Eni's approach to local sustainability and a best practice that may be replicated in other countries. The project contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda. In this regard, it positions Eni as development actor towards Government Institutions and the international community. The contribution to SDG 17 - Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development - is strategic.