Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has flagged off the Farmers’ Input Support Programme, an agricultural initiative aimed at empowering 18,634 genuine farmers across the state.
Governor Otti while flagging off the programme, at the Umuahia Township Stadium, on Friday July 10, 2026, reiterated his administration’s commitment to supporting small holder farmers through policies that prioritize commercial agriculture to ensure food security, create jobs, and reduce poverty.
The Governor pointed out that the number of beneficiaries increased from the initial target of 17,000 to 18,634 following the expansion of the programme and the updating of the farmers’ database.
According to him, about 3,000 beneficiaries would receive their inputs at the event, while the remaining farmers would collect theirs through their respective local government councils.
Governor Otti also made public that the government has provided logistics to transport the agricultural inputs directly to beneficiaries’ farms at no extra cost and urged farmers who are yet to register to do so, as proper identification remains a prerequisite for accessing government support.
He commended farmers for their resilience and contribution to food production. He added that the state’s improved investment climate has continued to attract major investors, including a multinational palm oil company that has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the state to invest up to $200 million.
“I’m sure most of you would have heard about a multinational palm oil producer that has signed an MoU with us with the intention to invest up to $200 million in the state.
“We believe that with this kind of investment, we can guarantee food security not only in Abia State but in Nigeria, other parts of Africa, and the global community, because agriculture is a veritable business,” the Governor enthused.
In a keynote address, the Executive Director of the National Root Crops Research Institute, NRCRI, Umudike, Professor Chiedozie Egesi, described the programme as a major milestone in Abia’s agricultural transformation, adding that it signifies the state’s renewed commitment to making agriculture a central pillar of economic development.
Professor Egesi commended Governor Otti’s leadership and lauded the state’s Agricultural Dynamic Database System, ADDS, for ensuring that only genuine farmers benefit from government interventions, describing it as a model for transparent agricultural planning.
“Within a relatively short period, Abia State has undergone remarkable transformation across infrastructure, governance, security, ease of doing business, and public service delivery. Confidence has returned to the people.
“When leadership is purposeful, development follows. When government creates an enabling environment, businesses grow. And when farmers are empowered, the entire economy prospers.
So, Your Excellency, history will remember that your administration understands that the wealth of Abia State does not lie in our cities and industries alone, but also in our fertile lands,” Professor Egesi pointed out.
He noted that Abia possesses the natural resources, strategic location, and fertile soils needed to become the agricultural hub of the South-East and a leading agri-food producer in Nigeria, if investments in the sector are sustained.
While calling on beneficiaries to complement the government’s support by adopting improved farming technologies and best practices for higher yields, Professor Egesi also reaffirmed the institute’s commitment to partnering with the Abia State Government.
In her goodwill message, the Vice-Chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Professor Ursula Akanwa, commended Governor Otti for his administration’s deliberate investment in agriculture, innovation, and youth development. She noted that providing farmers with quality agricultural inputs would boost productivity, improve livelihoods, and strengthen the agricultural value chain.
Presenting his address, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Cliff Agbeze, explained that a total of 18,634 genuine Abia farmers will receive improved varieties of cassava, rice, maize, plantain, sweet potato, and organic fertilizer fortified with pest control materials, among other farm inputs.
Dr. Agbeze noted that the inputs, fully funded by the state government, were distributed free of charge alongside transportation. He added that beneficiaries were drawn from the ministry’s database, and that anyone seeking to benefit must be captured in the Agricultural Dynamic Database System and authenticated as a genuine farmer with evidence of a farmland.
