Abia State Governor Dr. Alex Otti, on Friday, July 10, officially flagged off the Abia State Farmers Support Programme, an initiative aimed at empowering over 18,000 farmers across the 17 Local Government Areas of the State.
The flag-off ceremony was held at the Umuahia Township Stadium. Governor Otti reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to transforming agriculture into a major driver of food security, employment generation, and economic prosperity.
Otti explained that the empowerment and distribution of farm inputs followed a comprehensive farmers’ 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 are yet to register to take advantage of the ongoing registration process to enable them benefit from future interventions.
The Governor further emphasised that while government will continue to support smallholder farmers, its agricultural policy is firmly anchored on 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.
The Governor also announced that government has made transportation arrangements to ensure beneficiaries convey the agricultural inputs to their 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 revealed that the favourable investment climate created by his administration has continued to attract major investors into the state’s agricultural sector.
This includes a multinational palm oil company that has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Abia State Government to invest up to 200 million US Dollars.
According to him, such investments will significantly strengthen food security, create jobs, reduce poverty, and position Abia as a major agricultural hub.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Cliff Agbaeze, disclosed that a total of 18,634 genuine farmers will receive farming inputs of improved varieties of different crops, including 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 to benefit from the programme, a farmer must be captured on the State’s database after being properly authenticated as a genuine farmer with evidence of a farmland. He added that all the items to be distributed have been fully paid for by the State Government, and transportation fare will be provided.
In his keynote address, the Executive Director, National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Prof. Chiedozie Egesi, said the farm inputs distribution is a declaration that agriculture has once again taken its rightful place as a priority in the development agenda of Abia State.
He noted that agriculture remains the foundation for Nigeria’s future and that Abia occupies a strategic place as a great agricultural powerhouse in the South East and Nigeria. Prof. Egesi said the Institute is ready to partner with the Abia State Government in improving agricultural production in the State and commended Governor Otti for initiating a database for farmers and for his purposeful government.
“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 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.
In a goodwill message, the Vice Chancellor, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Prof. Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, appreciated Governor Otti for being intentional in all sectors, including agriculture, and urged beneficiaries to make good use of the inputs.
Prof. Akanwa noted that the initiative demonstrates a clear commitment to agricultural transformation for rural prosperity and economic development.
“By providing farmers with critical agricultural inputs, the State government is making a strategic investment in increasing productivity, improved livelihood 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.
