Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has flagged off the Farmers’ Input Support Programme, an agricultural intervention designed to empower over 18,600 farmers and boost food production across the state.
Speaking at the launch of the programme at the Umuahia Township Stadium, Governor Otti said the initiative underscores his administration’s commitment to strengthening commercial agriculture, enhancing food security, creating jobs and reducing poverty.
The governor disclosed that the number of beneficiaries increased from the initial target of 17,000 to 18,634 following the expansion of the state’s farmers’ database.
He explained that about 3,000 farmers received agricultural inputs during the flag-off ceremony, while the remaining beneficiaries would collect theirs through their respective local government councils.
Governor Otti also announced that the state government would transport the farm inputs directly to beneficiaries’ farms at no cost, urging farmers who are yet to register to enroll in the state’s Agricultural Dynamic Database System (ADDS) to qualify for future interventions.
He commended farmers for their resilience and contribution to food production and revealed that the state’s improved investment climate has attracted a multinational palm oil company that has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Abia State Government to invest up to 200 million dollars.
According to the governor, the investment is expected to strengthen food production, create employment opportunities and position Abia as a major agricultural hub in Nigeria.
In his keynote address, the Executive Director of the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, Professor Chiedozie Egesi, described the programme as a significant milestone in the state’s agricultural transformation.
He praised Governor Otti’s leadership and commended the Agricultural Dynamic Database System for ensuring transparency by targeting only genuine farmers for government support.
Professor Egesi urged beneficiaries to adopt modern farming techniques and improved technologies to increase productivity and pledged the institute’s continued partnership with the state in research, mechanisation, technology transfer and capacity building.
Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Professor Ursula Akanwa, lauded the state government’s investment in agriculture, innovation and youth development, noting that access to quality farm inputs would improve productivity and strengthen the agricultural value chain.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Cliff Agbeze, said the 18,634 beneficiaries would receive improved varieties of cassava, rice, maize, plantain, sweet potato, organic fertiliser and other essential farm inputs, all fully funded by the Abia State Government.
He explained that only farmers captured and verified through the state’s Agricultural Dynamic Database System with evidence of active farmland qualified for the programme.
The event was attended by the Deputy Governor, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, traditional rulers, government officials and other stakeholders. It also featured the distribution of farm inputs and an exhibition of agricultural produce.
