Akwa-Ibom agric commissioner bemoans biometric capturing setbacks in the state

• only 366 registered farmers out of 2.1million *  positioned for mechanised farming
  

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 The Akwa-Ibom Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mr Mathew Ekaette, on Wenesday in Uyo, disclosed that the state government has commenced mechanised farming to ensure food accessibility and sufficiency.

Ekaette, who said that some communities were donating lands to the state government to achieve the objective, reaffirmed that government had commenced steps to ensure availability of food across the state.

The commissioner noted that government was embarking on mechanised farming to ensure that food was produce in a commercial scale in the state, adding that food sufficiency rest on four pillars, government is ensuring that food is available, affordable, and accessible and save for human consumption.

He noted  that the state government would engage farmers through cooperative societies to involve them in massive production of food crops for income generation. More so,farmers will be mobilised and sensitised through capacity building and then make all these inputs for them at the level of cooperative.

Ekaette  said the government will also ensure that there is value addition in what we produce because if there is value addition the poverty level which our farmers have subject to will remain and reiterated that the state government in tackling poverty among farmers in the state would also ensure value addition to produce to further enhance investment in the sector.

The Commissioner revealed that the government had approved the reactivation of cassava processing plant in the state. He appealed to various communities to support and cooperate with government in the donation of more land for cultivation.

Ekaette expressed regrets that the biometric exercise designed by government to capture farmers in the state had suffered setbacks with only 366 registered farmers out of 2.1million famers in the state, adding that this only represents less than 3 per cent of the expected registration.

He however called on farmers to key into the initiative to enable the state benefit from the Federal Government programme in the subsector and assured farmers in the state of government support in providing them with the needed skills and tools for effective farming.