Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has said the success of the state’s agricultural interventions will depend on accurate farmer identification and a deliberate shift from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture.
The governor stated this on Friday, July 10, while officially flagging off the Abia State Farmers Support Programme at the Umuahia Township Stadium. The initiative is designed to empower 18,634 verified farmers across the 17 local government areas of the state with improved farm inputs.
Governor Otti explained that the distribution followed a comprehensive registration and verification exercise aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability.
“We started with data gathering because we wanted to map every farmer to a farm. We now have a comprehensive database of our farmers. If we cannot identify you, we won’t be able to support you,” Gov. Otti stated.
He encouraged genuine farmers who have yet to register to take advantage of the ongoing registration process so they can benefit from future interventions.
The governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to transforming agriculture into a major driver of food security, employment generation and economic prosperity.
He stressed that while smallholder farmers would continue to receive support, the state’s agricultural policy is firmly anchored in promoting commercial agriculture capable of driving large-scale production and economic growth.
“We believe strongly that subsistence farming may not take us too far. While we are not disinterested in subsistence farming, we are aggressively promoting commercial agriculture because agriculture is a veritable business,” Gov. Otti noted.
To ease the burden on beneficiaries, the governor announced that transportation arrangements had been made to convey the agricultural inputs to farms at no additional cost.
He described farmers as critical partners in the state’s development agenda and assured them of sustained government support.
Governor Otti also revealed that the favourable investment climate created by his administration has continued to attract major investors into the state’s agricultural sector.
According to him, a multinational palm oil company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Abia State Government to invest up to $200 million.
He said such investments would strengthen food security, create jobs, reduce poverty and position Abia as a major agricultural hub.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Cliff Agbaeze, disclosed that the beneficiaries would receive improved varieties of cassava, rice, maize, plantains, sweet potatoes, pepper, tomato and organic fertilisers.
“For the flag-off day, the target is 3,312 farmers, while the remaining 15,322 farmers will receive their inputs through their various LGAs,” Dr. Agbaeze stated.
Dr. Agbaeze noted that beneficiaries must be captured on the state’s farmers’ database and properly authenticated as genuine farmers with evidence of farmland.
He added that all the items to be distributed had been fully paid for by the state government and that transportation fare would be provided.
In his keynote address, the Executive Director of the National Root Crops Research Institute, Chiedozie Egesi, described the distribution as a clear indication that agriculture had returned to the forefront of Abia State’s development agenda.
“Permit me to begin by sincerely appreciating His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti, for his visionary, purposeful and people-centred leadership.
“Within a relatively short period, Abia State has undergone a remarkable transformation across infrastructure, governance, security, ease of doing business and public service delivery. Confidence has returned to the people.
“When leadership is purposeful, development follows. When the government creates an enabling environment, businesses grow. And when farmers are empowered, the entire economy prospers.
“So, Your Excellency, sir, history will remember that your administration understands that the wealth of Abia State does not lie in our cities and industries alone, but also in our fertile lands,” Prof. Egesi stated.
He noted that agriculture remains the foundation for Nigeria’s future and that Abia occupies a strategic place as an agricultural powerhouse in the South East and Nigeria.
He also expressed the Institute’s readiness to partner with the Abia State Government in improving agricultural production and commended the administration for establishing a farmers’ database.
In a goodwill message, the Vice Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, appreciated Governor Otti for his intentional focus on all sectors, including agriculture, and urged beneficiaries to make good use of the inputs.
“By providing farmers with critical agricultural inputs, the State government is making a strategic investment in increasing productivity, improving livelihoods and sustainable agricultural growth.
“Agriculture remains the bedrock of our nation’s economy, and the most reliable- I repeat, the most reliable pathway to ensuring food sufficiency and reducing poverty,” Prof. Akanwa stated.
The event was attended by stakeholders and senior government officials.
