The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno says his administration is taking practical steps to boost full-scale mechanised farming through the establishment of an Agric Equipment Leasing Company, which will soon be commissioned.
Governor Eno made this known shortly after inspecting the progress of work at the facility located at Ekpri Nsukara in Uyo, the state capital.
He noted that the initiative forms part of efforts by his administration to strengthen the agricultural sector, improve food production and support farmers with access to modern farming equipment.
The Governor commended the contractor for the level of progress recorded at the project site.
He said; “There is a lot of improvement on the work done here to get the company kick-started in earnest. The contractor in fact has given her word that the project will soon be inaugurated, and I hold her to that.”
According to Governor Eno, the project is aimed at encouraging farmers to embrace large-scale farming in order to improve productivity, earnings and ensure food sufficiency in the state.
“The farming season is here again, and we are putting everything in place for this project to function optimally. There are over 25 tractors with tracking devices, and two low-beds in readiness for the agriculture programme.
“What we intend to do here is to lease these equipment to our farmers across the State at subsidized rates so that they can make use of them for improved farming productivity in the State. These farming equipment range from ploughs, harvesters, to lots of others that will help them improve,” he said.
Governor Eno explained that his administration is focused on mechanising farming methods in the state to achieve large-scale crop production and increased profits for farmers.
On the government’s tree-crop revolution programme, the Governor assured the people that the initiative would commence once the rainy season sets in.
He said; “The nursery of the palm tree crop seedlings has been put in place; the necessary enumeration of farmers has been done throughout the State, and in the next two weeks, the seedlings will be distributed to farmers for appropriate planting across the State.”
Governor Eno urged farmers to take advantage of the various agricultural programmes introduced by the government to enhance large-scale farming and economic growth.
Governor Eno was accompanied on the inspection by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Offiong Offor; Commissioner for Works and Fire Service, Prof Eno Ibanga; Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah; Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Akwa Ibom Investment Corporation (AKICORP), Imo-Abasi Jacob; and the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Agric Business, Pastor Godwin Ukwat, among other government officials.