TheDiggerNews
Nvosi(Abia, Nigeria): Gov Alex Otti of Abia has said that his administration is geared to reclaim abandoned farm settlements and turn the state into an agricultural powerhouse.
Otti disclosed this on Tuesday when the Management Team of the Anambra-Imo River Basin Development Authority (AIRBDA) paid him a visit in Nvosi, Isialangwa South Local Government Area (LGA).
He said that the Abia Government was focused on transitioning the state from subsistence farming to a full value-chain model by processing crops into finished products.
“We are working on transitioning from the kind of agriculture that we call subsistence farming to the value chain, all the way from primary products to secondary products, processing them into final products, and selling them.
“Instead of selling cocoa, we want to be able to sell chocolate,” he noted.
He added that his administration had recorded major achievements in the power sector, noting that nine out of the 17 LGAs in Abia now enjoy constant power supply, with plans underway to extend reliable power supply to the remaining areas.
The governor noted that improved power supply had stimulated economic activity, particularly in Aba and Umuahia.
Otti said that a joint technical committee would be set up, directing key Commissioners and the Abia State Investment Agency to work closely with the agency.
Earlier, the Chairman of the AIRBDA board, Sen. Emmanuel Anosike, noted that Abia’s importance in agricultural development in the region was strategic.
Anosike stressed the need to restore over 1,300 hectares of idle rice, cassava, and fish farms in the South-East Geopolitical Zone to strengthen food security in line with the mandate of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.
He also said that AIRBDA had a programme on renewable energy development, particularly solar energy.
Anosike said that with reclaimed farms and reliable power fueling growth, Abia would become a hub for modern agriculture.