Food Security: Abia to enumerate, build farmers’ data, develop agric map
From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia
Abia State government has entered into a partnership with a private firm to conduct enumeration of genuine farmers to be able to build a credible agricultural database and develop and agricultural map for the state.
According to the Commissioner, the initiative seeks to, among many benefits, identify genuine farmers, link communities to commodities, build a credible Agricultural database and develop an agric map for Abia State.
The project partnership with Kitovu Technology Company is also an initiative that would enable the government and other agricultural development agencies to provide targeted interventions and support to farmers towards improving agricultural productivity and food sufficiency.
Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Cliff Agbaeze, who announced the partnership between government and Kitovu, said the initiative would help government to revitalize the agricultural sector; improve food production, empower farmers with overall goal of enhancing agricultural productivity in the State.
Agbaeze spoke at the Ministry’s headquarters in Umuahia during a meeting between farmers in the state, farmers’ associations, critical agriculture stakeholders and the management team of the Ministry.
The Commissioner explained that the initiative would enable government and other agricultural development agencies to provide targeted interventions and support to farmers to bring about improved agricultural productivity and food sufficiency.
He alerted the audience that officials of the Ministry would be visiting farmers in their various local government areas soon to carry out proper agricultural needs assessment in the communities.
In her remarks, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Ijeoma Adanma Aguwa, explained that enumerating farmers, assessing their needs and collaborating with them would no doubt help to improve the agric sector.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kitovu Technology Company, Mr. Nwachinemere Emeka, explained that the technology his firm wants to apply would help to gather accurate data, process it, and store it in the “cloud” for future use.
Emeka urged farmers to not only to cooperate during the exercise but should inform others about the proposed farmers’ enumeration in the state.
According to him, the initiative was expected to address concerns about soil productivity, climate change, and incorrect pesticide use, which have been some of the major challenges facing farmers in the state.
“With this partnership, Abia State is poised to become a leading agricultural hub in Nigeria as it will provide opportunities for farmers, investors, and other stakeholders in the sector,” Emeka said.
According to a statement from the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, Oluchi Franklin Orji, the meeting featured questions-and-answers session.
