A’Ibom Repositions Agriculture for Jobs, Wealth Creation

The Akwa Ibom State Government is repositioning agriculture from subsistence farming into a major driver of food security, employment and wealth creation, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Offiong Offor, has said.

Offor stated this during an interaction with journalists in Uyo on Thursday while reviewing the administration’s performance in the agricultural sector.

She said the government had introduced targeted interventions and leveraged donor-supported programmes to increase agricultural production and improve farmers’ livelihoods.

According to her, agriculture remains central to Akwa Ibom’s economy, making sustained investment necessary to increase production, improve market access and create opportunities for rural communities.

She said the government’s Back to Farm and Home Farm initiatives were encouraging households to cultivate food crops for consumption and additional income.

Offor also disclosed that the state had established an Equipment Leasing Company, through which farmers could access tractors and other farm machinery at a 50 per cent subsidy.

She said the government was supporting the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project, a World Bank-assisted programme, through counterpart funding to improve rural feeder roads.

The commissioner said 486 roads had been earmarked for rehabilitation across the state’s 31 local government areas to improve farmers’ access to markets and reduce post-harvest losses.

She added that more than 16,000 beneficiaries had received agricultural inputs through the AK-CARES programme, while over 150 rural roads had been graded and 81 wet markets rehabilitated.

On tree crops, Offor said the state had launched the Tree Crop Revolution Programme, with plans to distribute more than 620,000 oil palm seedlings to 1,700 farmers across the 31 local government areas.

She said more than 250,000 cocoa seedlings were distributed to over 3,000 farmers in 2025, while more than 100,000 seedlings had been distributed to over 850 farmers in 2026.

The commissioner further disclosed plans for a 50-hectare Model Farm combining crop and livestock production, with the model expected to be replicated across the state’s senatorial districts.

Offor said the interventions were part of the administration’s broader efforts to make agriculture more productive and attractive while creating sustainable economic opportunities for residents.