Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti has reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to move agriculture beyond subsistence farming to commercial production capable of driving economic growth and guaranteeing food security.
The Governor stated this on Friday at Umuahia Township stadium, during the flagging off the distribution of free agricultural inputs to 17,000 verified farmers across Abia State.
Speaking at the ceremony, Gov. Otti applauded the farmers for their resilience and hard work, saying that their contributions to feeding families and the state deserved greater recognition.
“We cannot take your efforts for granted. You feed yourselves, your families and the rest of us. We are here today to appreciate and support you,” he said.
He explained that before rolling out the programme, the government embarked on a comprehensive registration exercise to build a credible database of farmers across the state.
According to him, the exercise was necessary to ensure that only genuine farmers benefit from government interventions.
“We wanted to map every farmer to a farm. In Abia today, if we cannot identify your farm, we cannot support you. We have a comprehensive database, and those who have not registered still have the opportunity to do so,” he said.
Gov. Otti noted that although his administration recognises the importance of subsistence farming, its major focus is on building a vibrant commercial agriculture sector that will attract investment, create jobs and improve livelihoods.
He disclosed that the state’s investment-friendly environment has already begun attracting major players, including a multinational oil palm company that has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the government to invest about 200 million dollars in Abia.
“With investments like this, we can guarantee food security not only for Abia State but for Nigeria and beyond because agriculture is a viable business,” the governor added.
To ease the burden on beneficiaries, Gov. Otti said the state government also provided transportation to ensure farmers move both themselves and their farm inputs to their destinations without additional cost.
He commended the Ministry of Agriculture, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, and other partners for their support in making the programme a reality.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Cliff Agbaeze, said the programme, originally designed to benefit 17,000 farmers, was expanded after the verification exercise increased the number of qualified beneficiaries to 18,634.
He explained that beneficiaries would receive improved varieties of cassava, rice, maize, plantain, sweet potato, pepper and tomato, alongside organic fertilizers fortified with pest-control materials, herbicides and NPK fertilizers.
Agbaeze stressed that all beneficiaries were selected from the Abia Agricultural Dynamic Database System (ADDS), insisting that only farmers whose farms had been identified and verified qualified for the programme.
“You cannot benefit from this exercise if we cannot trace you to a farm. Our goal is to eliminate ghost farmers and ensure government support gets to those who are genuinely cultivating the land,” he said.
He added that all the inputs were fully funded by the state government and distributed free of charge, while more than 100 buses were provided to transport beneficiaries to and from the venue.
Agbaeze disclosed that the intervention would not end with the current exercise, revealing that additional phases of input distribution had already been planned.
According to him, farmers who missed the first batch still have opportunities to benefit, provided they complete the registration and verification process.
Also speaking, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, Prof. Chiedozie Egesi, described the programme as a significant step towards repositioning agriculture in Abia.
He said the initiative demonstrated that agriculture had once again become a priority in the state’s development agenda, noting that Abia possesses the fertile land, favourable climate and strategic location required to become a leading agricultural hub in Nigeria.
Prof. Egesi commended the state government’s farmer database initiative, saying it would improve planning, eliminate leakages and ensure interventions reach genuine farmers.
He pledged the institute’s continued support through research, improved planting materials, extension services and technology transfer to boost agricultural productivity across the state.
In her remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Prof. Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, described the programme as a strategic investment in food security and rural development.
Akanwa applauded Gov. Otti for prioritising agriculture and urged beneficiaries to make effective use of the inputs to improve productivity and household incomes.
Akanwa also reaffirmed the university’s commitment to partnering with the state government in agricultural research, innovation, capacity building and extension services.
The ceremony saw about 3,312 farmers receive improved seedlings, fertilizers and other farm inputs, while the remaining 13,688 beneficiaries are expected to collect theirs through their various local government councils
(The Whistler)