By George Omagbemi
Agriculture is no longer being treated merely as a means of feeding Akwa Ibom’s population; the state government is repositioning the sector as a pathway to jobs, wealth creation and economic opportunity, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Offiong Offor, has said.
Offor made the disclosure in Uyo, while speaking on the agricultural transformation agenda of Governor Umo Eno’s administration.
According to the commissioner, the government is deliberately moving agriculture away from subsistence practices towards commercial production, with emphasis on mechanisation, improved planting materials, farmer support, processing and market access.
One of the major interventions is an Equipment Leasing Company, through which farmers can access tractors and other agricultural machinery at a 50 per cent subsidy.
The government has also committed ₦2 billion in grants to farmers across different agricultural value chains, while its Tree Crop Revolution Programme is targeting the distribution of more than 620,000 oil-palm seedlings to about 1,700 farmers.
Offor said the state is equally developing the 50-hectare Ibom Model Farm, designed to combine crop and livestock production with processing, training and agritourism.
The commissioner’s message goes beyond increasing food production. The strategy is aimed at making agriculture attractive to young people by turning farming into a commercially viable enterprise capable of generating income and employment.
With support for machinery, seedlings, finance, processing and rural infrastructure, Akwa Ibom is attempting to build an agricultural value chain in which farmers do not merely produce food but also participate in the wealth created from it.
For Offor, the future of Akwa Ibom agriculture is therefore not simply about putting more people on farms; it is about putting more money into the hands of those who work the land.
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