ENSURING FOOD PRODUCTION AND SECURITY; WHAT ABIA STATE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE IS DOING DIFFERENTLY.

#AbiaOnline
Onyenso Abraham Adims
Agriculture deals with the provision of foods and raw materials. The sector has helped extensively in the growth of other sectors of the economy having added to the national grid. Therefore, in its efforts and determination in ensuring self food sufficiency in Abia state, the Hon Commissioner for Agriculture Barr. Uzo Azubuike has evolved result oriented programmes and policies of action through the approval and directive of Governor Okezie lkpeazu.
The government of Abia today, do not pay lip services to such programmes and policies especially now that the country is in dire need to grow her foods locally as well as to make paradigm shift from thrusting on the coffers of the federal government for survival.
This has rubbed off in the tremendous progress in the five focal areas of Agriculture in Abia State which includes; Cash crops, Food crops, Livestocks/fisheries,
Agricultural mechanisation and Agricultural financing.
#PALM PRODUCE
State’s efforts to boost cash crop in the State, the ministry of Agriculture has retrieved, rehabilitated and repositioned all the Oil Palm Estates, established by the previous administrations which had hitherto remained moribund for lack of maintenance. These Oil Palm estates includes; Ohambele, Ulonna North and south, Ukwa Nkporo, Isu Aro and Ozuitem, totaling about 12,189Hectares while about 3,856hectares has been planted with improved Tenera oil palm species.
The ministry has also embarked on Community Based Oil Palm Project. This is a revolutionary agricultural programme of Dr. Okezie lkpeazu administration to unbundle the agricultural value chain. Statistics has it that over 80% of the earth crust of Abia State is lying fallow without Oil Palm Trees planted on them.
The drive of the government is that each portion of land will be planted with these improved seedling to help in the production of the palm oil which is a good market today.
Hence, the government went into the nursery of 2 million oil palm seedlings at Ahiaba Umueze in Osisioma Ngwa LGA. To maintain the fray of the business or better still, to improve the status quo, the State has Abia oil Processing Mill equipment , galvanizing them also for the high level of business focus and concentration needed to remain efficacious at each level of process required in Palm oil manufacturing.
Indeed, the enormous benefits of this adventure embarked upon by the state Government, targeted towards the good people of Abia, remains alleviating. The state is targeting 7.5 million of same specie of Palm seedlings before 2019.
GRAINS
Grains are one of the cash crops loved and eaten by many in Africa. One of such grains is rice. There is no gainsaying the fact that Abia, especially in the Abia North senatorial zone has vast portions of land which has been producing rice but has never added to the national grid owing to the fact that these grains were hitherto not processed in the State. To this end, the government, through the ministry of Agriculture, collaborated with FADAMA 111 for Rice development in the State.
This collaboration culminated in the establishment of a rice processing Mill at Attani in Arochukwu L.G.A of Abia State which has given rise to the mass production of stone free longrain Rice. An icing on the cake is the planned building of a modern rice processing mill in the State in this year, 2017.
From the first quarter of the year 2017, emphasis will be placed on guiding the rice farmers on the particular species that must be planted in the Abia rice farms, as the ministry will monitor and allow the use of Faro 44 and 52 only to improve good yield of the crop.
LIVESTOCK
Moving away from theoretical approach on Agric policies to practical implementation of those policies, the Abia State ministry of Agriculture has established a 7500 capacity modern poultry farm at the ministry’s headquarters in library avenue in Umuahia with about 2,500 pullets (layers) currently being nursed in the poultry.
Unlike the bureaucratic bottlenecks which has bedeviled progress in programs like this, the ministry’s staff are the ones taking care of the birds.
Abia State government is presently building a poultry processing plant at Umuosu in lsiala Ngwa LGA, while it will hopefully kickstart its poultry settlement in the three senatorial zones of the State.
The ministry has also revamped its fish ponds with over 7,000 Fishes been nursed in the ponds.
OTHER CASH CROPS
The ministry has embarked on cassava stem multiplication with the establishment of 10 hectares of TME 419 and Pro-vitaminA cassava farm at Omumauzo Ukwa West LGA, the target is to raise and distribute not less than 50000 bundles of cassava cuttings to farmers.
The ministry has established a mushroom demonstration farm at the ministry’s headquarters library avenue, Umuahia with state of the art equipment to execute the process procured. The commissioner called on many youths to take advantage of this lucrative venture and key into it for a living.
The ministry is running a ginger farm with over 70,000 seedling currently planted at Ohamble farms.
PROCUREMENT OF TRACTOR, BULLDOZERS AND GRADERS
The equipment procured will enable for the creation of roads to the farm settlements in the State while the tractors and ploughs will be used to harrow the portions for the farmers.
According to the commissioner, “the ministry is hunted by the burning desire of the Governor to make Abia State the food based of the South-East. In the year 2017, Abia will be known with exploits in the Agricultural sector. Our rice is cheaper and even better than some in the market. It will serve the need of Abians this day and in the days ahead”.