A’Ibom ready to embrace viable partnerships to develop agriculture – Commissioner
Dr Offiong Offor, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development in Akwa Ibom, says the state government is willing to harness viable partnership options to develop the agriculture sector.
Offor stated this on Thursday in Uyo while speaking at a training workshop on Traceability and Resilience in Agriculture and Coco Ecosystems (TRACE).
The workshop was organized by the U. S. Department for Agriculture, Lutheran World Relief and the Akwa Ibom Government for extension officers in cocoa producing states.
She said that the TRACE project was in alliance with the ARISE Agenda of the Gov. Umo Eno-led administration which was anchored on agriculture and rural development.
The commissioner described the workshop as well-intended and capable of yielding positive results.
”We appreciate the sponsors of this project. The essence of collaboration is mutual support. As a government, we appreciate every form of support given to us,” she said.
Offor stated that the state government would continue to support cocoa farmers and their funders for the overall success of the project.
”We have been supporting cocoa farmers annually with inputs such as hybrid cocoa seedlings, agro-chemicals and knapsack sprayers, among others. We shall do same later in this wet season,” she said.
She expressed optimism that after five years of implementing the project, Akwa Ibom will reap the positive outcomes of the TRACE project.
Earlier, the Deputy Chief of Party, Lutheran World Relief, TRACE Project, Mr Olawale Awoyeni, disclosed that TRACE was a five-year project funded by the U.S Department of Agriculture and Lutheran World Relief.
He said that the essence of the project was to support farmers to improve cocoa production.
”Our target is to strengthen the capacity of extension officers in cocoa producing states to deliver climate smart techniques to farmers,” he said.
Awoyeni listed Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ondo, Abia, Osun and Ekiti states as the TRACE project participating states.
In his remarks, a Director in the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, Dr Sunday Agbeniyi, said that the space of land used for cultivation and quality of cocoa seedlings were critical to high yields.
Agbeniyi urged cocoa farmers in the country to be more proactive and always put land space and seedling quality into consideration during cultivation.
NAN / Foluke Ibitomi
