•Governor Eno cuts the tape to declare open Akwa Ibom State 2024 second farming season
TONY UDOH, Uyo reporting
In line with the Agriculture component of his ARISE Agenda, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno yesterday, Wednesday, September 25, 2024, presented 12,000 bags of fertilizer and a variety of improved seedlings for distribution to farmers across the state.
Governor Eno made the presentation while flagging off the 2024 second farming season at Uruan LGA, as part of events marking the 37th anniversary of the state creation.
The governor said he is determined and committed to taking agriculture to a large scale production level where young people will see farming as a lucrative business.
He said that the state is blessed with massive arable land, vegetation, good weather, extensive road network and secured environment which are enablers of commercial farming, adding that it is inexcusable for Akwa Ibom to lack food both for local consumption and exports.
The governor, who himself is a farmer, said that every Akwa Ibomite, including civil servants and politicians, must own their farms, because the ongoing free food programme in the state was just an intervention scheme which is not sustainable.
“The sustainable way to go as a solution to high food prices and hunger in the land is large scale, commercial farming. It doesn’t matter what status you are, whether you are an engineer, doctor, or entrepreneur. So long as you can eat, there is a need for you to have at least a garden in your backyard. “Above all, we have declared the first and third Fridays of every month as farm days so as to free the civil servants to go to the farm. We can make this a hobby. We can all own farms. We must all return to the farm”, the governor said.
He announced his government’s investment in farming machines, tools and equipment which he said will transform the business of farming in the state.
Recounting other steps already taken towards achieving Agriculture goals, the governor pointed at the ongoing Ibom Integrated Farm project in partnership with Songhai Regional Centre in Porto Novo in Benin Republic; the sponsorship of many Akwa Ibom youths for training in modern farming techniques both locally and outside Nigeria.
According to him, “Today, we have for distribution 12,000 bags of fertilizer that will go to all the Local Government Areas. We have 10,000 cassava cuttings, 20,000 improved oil palm seedlings that we got from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), 5,000 trays of pepper seedlings, and others.
“I love the fact that we have also brought our school children into farming as it used to be in the good old days in Nigeria… when students planted most of the food they ate in the boarding houses. We believe that it is time to go back to such practices and begin to help our children fall in love with agriculture from an early age”.
The governor praised the federal government for the donations, Agric stakeholders and the Commissioner of Agriculture for making the day a success.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Offiong Offor commended the governor for his strides in enhancing food sufficiency for the teeming population of Akwa Ibom State and assured all stakeholders of her ministry’s readiness to drive the vision of the governor to success.
