The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Prof Monica Irokwe, on Wednesday, disclosed that the Abia Government has begun expansion of farming activities to stem shortage of food in the state.
Speaking during an interview with newsmen in Umuahia, Irokwe explained that the state had already prepared some hectares of land for farming and was also encouraging residents of the state to return to farming to increase food production.
Reiterating Gov Alex Otti’s commitment to ensuring that agriculture regained its pride of place in the state, she said that the state was making efforts to procure farm inputs to ensure farmers improved their agricultural productions.
“At the beginning of the year, we went round the senatorial zones to encourage people to return to farming because that is the only answer to food shortage.
“Even if you don’t do mechanised farming, you can farm what you and your family will eat, and that will help you conquer hunger,” she said.
She added that the state was working to ease the acquisition of farm inputs by farmers through creating a database for them in Abia.
Speaking further, the Commissioner noted that the government was aware of three major issues discouraging Abia farmers, which included stealing of products, poor yield and political farmers.
Irokwe however, said that the state had engaged different stakeholders to ensure that these deterrents were removed.
She added that to stop the stealing of farm produce as a result of hunger, required the concerted efforts of communities where such was happening.
She therefore called on communities where hunger had resulted in stealing of farm produce to take steps to stop it.
She noted that the state was committed to fighting food shortage as it was already phasing out political farmers from the sector.
She said that farmers have been subjected to huge losses in the state through the machinations of political farmers who scammed and stole from them.
The commissioner also advised the farmers to allow their farm lands to regain lost nutrients through fallowing for about three years to avoid low yield.
Irokwe further urged farmers in the state to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers which would have health implications on consumers of products.
