Akwa Ibom Unveils Big Plan to Turn Farmers Into Entrepreneurs

(Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Offiong Offor. Photo Credit: Punch News)

Akwa Ibom State is turning agriculture into something bigger than just feeding families.

The state's Agriculture Commissioner, Dr Offiong Offor, says Governor Umo Eno's government is pushing farmers toward commercial production that can create jobs and build wealth across the state. She outlined this during a media briefing in Uyo this week.

Agriculture matters to Akwa Ibom's economy, Offor stressed, so the government is investing deliberately.

The state has mostly farmland where people grow cassava, vegetables, oil palm and cocoa.

But farmers struggle with bad roads, scarce machinery and losing crops after harvest before they reach markets.

The government's response targets these exact problems.

Two initiatives lead the charge: Back to Farm and Home Farm.

These encourage families to grow their own food instead of buying everything from markets, cutting costs while generating extra income.

The state also set up an Equipment Leasing Company where farmers can rent tractors and other tools at half price, letting them work faster and produce more than manual labour allows.

Rural roads remain a major focus.

A World Bank-backed project mapped out 486 roads across all 31 local government areas to get produce to market faster and reduce spoilage.

One 11-kilometre junction road has already opened in Ibesikpo Asutan.

Separately, over 150 rural roads have been graded and 81 wet markets rehabilitated with proper toilets and slaughter slabs to improve hygiene.

The government also distributed seeds, fingerlings, livestock and farm chemicals to over 16,000 farmers through the AK-CARES programme.

A Tree Crop Revolution is underway for oil palm and cocoa.

So far, 14 local government areas have received 5,000 oil palm seedlings each from a planned 620,000 total.

Cocoa seedlings distributed last year topped 250,000 to 3,000 farmers, with another 100,000 going to 850 farmers this year.

The state is also tracking cocoa beans to ensure Akwa Ibom's produce gets proper credit rather than being mixed with other states' output.

The crowning piece is a 50-hectare Model Farm combining crops and livestock, with plans to replicate it across all three senatorial districts.

The overall aim is to make farming profitable and appealing while creating lasting economic opportunities for residents.