Charging citizens to take agricultural activities as serious business, Akwa Ibom Governor, Udom Emmanuel, has formally flagged off a farmers’ enumeration exercise in the state.
The governor assured that with the cooperation of citizens, agriculture would become a major driver of the state’s economy thereby bringing to an end to the over-dependence on government for survival.
The governor who spoke in his office in Uyo was mentioned as the number one cocoa and plantain farmer in the state in the ongoing farmer’s Enumeration exercise by the Akwa Ibom Investment company limited-AKIICORP.
Speaking about the scheme, Governor Emmanuel said there was a need for the people to harness the resources in the state and create wealth out of Agriculture.
While appreciating the Akwa Ibom Investment Company limited-AKIICORP for driving his vision in the agricultural sector, Governor Emmanuel assured them of his support to the realization of their full-cycle food value chain project that will ensure availability of staple food across the state.
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The Executive Director of AKIICORP, Pastor Umo Eno, earlier in his address, had said the importance of the enumeration exercise is to encourage the elite class and the teaming youths to embrace agriculture as a business and as a post-COVID-19 economy recovery growth plan following the decline in oil revenue.
He further disclosed that the exercise began on the 25th of May 2020 across the 31 local government areas of the state with about 1500 enumerators deployed to cover almost 2500 villages in the state, adding that the data collation when completed will serve as a major customer base for the about to be commenced Ibom FADAMA microfinance bank.
Speaking further, he stressed that at the successful completion of the exercise, they plan to encourage farmers to produce specific food crops like cassava in commercial quantity, which the government will off-take and supply to all the Garri processing mills in the state to produce Garri, Fufu and starch among others at affordable prices.
The AkIICORP boss added that the directorate is totally committed to the successful implementation of the completion agenda of the Udom Emmanuel led administration as regards Agricultural investments in the state.
