Otti Launches Input Support for 18,000 Abia Farmers, Targets Higher Food Production

Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti has flagged off the Farmers’ Input Support Programme aimed at empowering more than 18,000 farmers across the state with a target to improve higher food production in the state.

The programme themed: “Improved Inputs, Increased Yields, Sustainable Prosperity for Farmers”, will see agricultural inputs including improved maize, cassava, plantain and sweet potato seedlings, organic fertilisers, herbicides distributed to registered farmers across the 17 local government areas of the state.

The farmers input support programme fully funded by the Abia state government, is being distributed free of charge alongside transportation, while beneficiaries would also receive training and extension support to enable them transition from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture, boost productivity, improve livelihoods and enhance food security.

Speaking at the flag-off ceremony held at the Umuahia Township Stadium, Governor Otti said that his administration is laying a solid foundation for commercial agriculture to guarantee food security, create jobs and reduce poverty.

The Governor said although the state government remains committed to supporting smallholder farmers, its agricultural policy places greater emphasis on commercial farming.

“In fact, that is the bedrock of our agricultural policy because we believe strongly that subsistence farming may not take us too far.

“While we are not disinterested in subsistence farming, we are promoting aggressively commercial agriculture”, he said.

Governor Otti noted that the number of beneficiaries had increased from the initial target of 17,000 to more than 18,000 farmers following the expansion of the programme.

The governor disclosed that about 3,000 beneficiaries would receive their inputs at the event, while the remaining farmers would collect theirs through their respective local government councils.

He further announced that the government has also provided logistics to transport the agricultural inputs directly to beneficiaries’ farms at no additional cost.

Governor Otti said his administration first developed a comprehensive database of genuine farmers to ensure that only verified farmers benefit from government interventions.

The Governor encouraged farmers who were yet to register to do so, stressing that proper identification remains a prerequisite for accessing government support.

He commended farmers for their resilience and contribution to food production and disclosed that the state’s improved investment climate had attracted major investors, including a multinational palm oil company that had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the state to invest up to 200 million dollars.

“I’m sure most of you would have heard about a multinational palm oil producer that has signed an MOU with us with an intention to invest up to 200 million dollars in the state.

“We believe that with this kind of investment, we can guarantee food security not only in Abia State but in Nigeria, other parts of Africa and the global community because agriculture is a veritable business”, Governor Otti added.

He expressed appreciation to the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, the National Root Crops Research Institute and other development partners for supporting the initiative.

Delivering a keynote address, the Executive Director of the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, Prof. Chiedozie Egesi, said the programme is a major milestone in Abia’s agricultural transformation, adding that it signifies the state’s renewed commitment to making agriculture a central pillar of economic development.

Prof Egesi who commended Governor Otti’s leadership, also lauded the state’s Agricultural Dynamic Database System (ADDS) for ensuring that only genuine farmers benefit from government interventions, describing it as a model for transparent agricultural planning.

The NRCRI boss noted that Abia possesses the natural resources, strategic location and fertile soils needed to become the agricultural hub of the South-East and a leading agri-food producer in Nigeria if sustained investments in the sector are maintained.

He therefore urged beneficiaries to complement the state government’s support by adopting improved farming technologies and best agricultural practices, stressing that quality inputs alone cannot guarantee higher yields without proper application, continuous training and extension services.

The NRCRI boss reaffirmed the institute’s commitment to partnering the Abia State Government in research, technology transfer, improved planting materials, mechanisation and capacity building and expressed confidence that the initiative would stimulate commercial agriculture, strengthen agricultural value chains, improve food security and create sustainable wealth for farming communities.

The Vice-Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Prof Ursula Akanwa, in her goodwill message, commended Governor Otti for his administration’s deliberate investment in agriculture, innovation and youth development.

Prof Akanwa noted that providing farmers with quality agricultural inputs would boost productivity, improve livelihoods and strengthen the agricultural value chain, adding that the programme aligns with the university’s mandate of advancing agricultural education, research, innovation and extension services.

She reaffirmed the University’s readiness to partner the Abia State Government and other stakeholders in promoting climate-smart agriculture, technology transfer and sustainable food systems.

Earlier in his address, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Cliff Agbaeze, said the Farmers’ Input Support Programme had expanded from an initial target of 17,000 beneficiaries to 18,634 verified farmers across the state’s 17 LGAs, and disclosed that 3,312 farmers would receive improved seedlings, fertilisers, herbicides and other agricultural inputs at the flag-off.

According to Dr. Agbaeze, the remaining 15,322 beneficiaries would collect theirs through their respective local government councils, stressing that only farmers captured in the state’s Agricultural Dynamic Database System and verified with identifiable farmlands qualified for the intervention.

He added that the inputs, fully funded by the state government, were being distributed free of charge alongside transportation, while beneficiaries would also receive training and extension support to enable them transition from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture, boost productivity, improve livelihoods and enhance food security.

The programme featured distribution of farm inputs and inspection of agricultural produce exhibition by the Governor among others.

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