The Abia State Government through the State Ministry of Agriculture is set to flag off the wet season rice farming programme under its In-Growers scheme to strengthen food security across the State.
The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this on Monday, while briefing Newsmen on the outcome of this week’s Exco Meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti.
Prince Kanu said that the programme which would be flagged off next week, aims at increasing local rice production and empowering farmers across the State.
According to the Commissioner, the State Ministry of Agriculture is set to aggregate farmers’ cooperatives across various crop value chains, and “will commence with rice cultivation in a target of 8,500 hectares of land at different Communities in the rice bales of the Abia North Senatorial zone of the State.
He said over 400 verified rice farmers in Ndi-Okereke, Abam, are farming over 500 hectares, while additional cultivation is ongoing on 150 hectares at Owerenta.
“For this flag off, there are over 400 genuine and authenticated rice farmers at Ndi-Okereke, Abam farming on over 500 hectares of land that have been verified.
“There is cultivation of rice on an additional 150 hectares of land at Owerenta. Before now, you were informed that the State Government through the Ministry had commenced planting of rice in that part of the State.
“This move will be replicated at other State-owned rice farmlands at Bende, Mkpa, Ofeme, Ozuitem, Ndi Okereke and Ndi-Oji Abam”, Prince Kanu stated..
He further disclosed that the State Government has extended the deadline for the submission of Expression of Interest (EOI) on its recovered plantations to May 15, 2025.
The Commissioner explained that the move is intended to allow serious investors to participate in the exercise.
“Of course, there is a need for more entries to ensure a more robust evaluation process to bring in new and more credible investors and managers on board. There is a need for the State to migrate forward.
“Hitherto was a practice where it was an all-comers affair. Now we seek serious investors who will add value to the State’s Agricultural assets,” Kanu emphasized.
Addressing concerns on the alleged diversion of Agricultural support for farmers, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Cliff Agbaeze, disclosed that the Ministry has initiated a statewide enumeration process to collect data on real farmers.
Dr Agbaeze who further explained that the process which would be stored in a secure cloud system added that with the aid of technology, the location of each farmer can easily be verified through a mobile device.
He emphasized that only genuine farmers with actual farms, identified and geomapped with precise coordinates, will qualify for the State Government interventions.
Dr. Agbaeze stressed that the present administration is committed to depoliticizing agricultural support by ensuring that only genuine farmers benefit from its programs.
He noted that the ongoing data-driven approach would eliminate fraudulent claims and redirect resources to those actively contributing to food production and rural development.
