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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The Abia State Government said it has intensified the monitoring of farmers it provided with farm inputs during the Phase 2 Farm Inputs Distribution Programme to ensure they are properly utilised.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Cliff Agbaezem, who made the disclosure in Umuahia, noted that the government’s responsibility goes beyond the distribution of farm inputs.
He said the monitoring and provision of technical guidance are being carried out in collaboration with the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike Agribusiness Incubation Centre (MOUAU-ABIC).
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To ensure this is properly done, Dr. Agbaeze explained that agricultural officers are visiting beneficiaries on their farms across the 17 local government areas to monitor the proper use of improved seedlings, fertilisers and agrochemicals, while tracking their progress from planting through cultivation to harvest.
He said the Phase Two programme was targeted at 15,322 additional farmers, building on Phase One, which benefited 3,312 farmers, adding that the intervention was focused on genuine, database-captured farmers to promote transparency and accountability.
The commissioner noted that the farm-to-harvest approach would enable the ministry to identify challenges early, provide necessary extension support, and assess the actual impact of the government’s agricultural investment.
He said the initiative was part of the administration of Dr. Alex Otti to transform agriculture from subsistence farming into a modern, productive and commercially viable agribusiness sector.
