Idara Jerome, Uyo
Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Offiong Offor, has said Governor Umo Eno’s administration has invested heavily in agriculture through mechanisation, farmer grants, improved seedlings, rural roads and extension services to boost food production and reposition the sector as a major driver of the state’s economy.
Offor, who spoke while briefing journalists in Uyo on Thursday, said the interventions were targeted at increasing agricultural production, improving farmers’ livelihoods and encouraging Akwa Ibom residents, particularly young people, to return to farming.
According to her, the governor had demonstrated his commitment to agriculture through the establishment of the Equipment Leasing Company, which provides tractors and other farm implements to farmers at a 50 per cent subsidy.
She said the intervention was necessary because the traditional use of hoes and cutlasses could no longer support the level of agricultural production required to feed the growing population and create meaningful economic opportunities.
“If you want to increase production, you want to put more food on the table, you have to increase production, and the old methods of using hoes and cutlasses will not get you to the level that you would desire,” Offor said.
The commissioner said the administration had also supported the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project, RAAMP, through counterpart funding, with 486 rural roads earmarked for rehabilitation across the 31 local government areas to facilitate the evacuation of farm produce to markets and reduce post-harvest losses.
She said the government had further established the 50-hectare Ibom Model Farm as an integrated crop and livestock production centre, comprising fish ponds, piggery and poultry facilities, crop farms, processing facilities, training halls, accommodation and other infrastructure designed to promote agritourism and modern farming.
Offor said the model farm, being developed in partnership with Akwa Ibom State University, would also serve as a training centre for young people and provide a template for integrated farming that would eventually be replicated across the three senatorial districts.
She disclosed that under the Tree Crop Revolution Programme, the state planned to distribute more than 620,000 oil palm seedlings to about 1,700 farmers across the state, adding that 14 local government areas had so far received 5,000 seedlings each.
The commissioner said the government had also distributed more than 250,000 cocoa seedlings to over 3,000 farmers in 2025 and another 100,000 seedlings to more than 850 farmers in 2026, alongside other farm inputs, including herbicides and knapsack sprayers.
She further disclosed that the governor had provided N2 billion in grants to farmers across various crop and livestock value chains, saying the intervention had contributed to increased production, particularly in cassava, and had consequently driven down prices in periods when production surged.
According to Offor, improved cassava varieties introduced to farmers had produced yields of between 30 and 35 tonnes per hectare, compared with about seven to 10 tonnes from some local varieties, describing the development as evidence of the impact of improved agricultural practices.
She said the administration had also revitalised the Akwa Ibom Agricultural Development Programme, AKADEP, to strengthen extension services and reconnect farmers with modern agricultural research, including climate-smart farming techniques needed to cope with changing weather patterns.
Offor said the government was equally supporting schools and young people through its agriculture programmes, while more than 16,000 beneficiaries had received agricultural inputs under AK-CARES, with over 150 rural roads graded and more than 81 wet markets and slaughter facilities improved.
She said the government was also revamping the greenhouse facility along Airport Road in collaboration with Akwa Ibom State University, while the Dakadda Global Palm Plantation at Esit Eket was being maintained and its internal roads improved as part of plans to introduce improved oil palm varieties and develop the facility for future agro-processing activities.
The commissioner said the interventions reflected the administration’s determination to make agriculture a sustainable economic enterprise rather than a subsistence activity, stressing that the Back-to-Farm initiative was designed to encourage residents to cultivate even small home gardens and contribute to food production.
“Agriculture is not something their grandfathers and grandmothers do in the villages,” Offor said, noting that mechanisation, greenhouse technology, improved varieties and modern farming practices were increasingly attracting young people to the sector.
