Abia State Governor Alex Otti has outlined an ambitious agricultural strategy aimed at making the state self-sufficient in food production and a net exporter of farm produce. Speaking at the third Michael Okpara Memorial Lecture Series at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike on Thursday, Otti said he would combine the agricultural vision of the late Dr Michael Iheonukara Okpara, former Premier of the Eastern Region, with modern technology to drive economic growth.
To implement the plan, Otti announced the formation of a steering committee that he will lead, comprising state government representatives, the university, PAYAZA Africa Limited and other stakeholders. The committee will identify agricultural commodities where Abia has a comparative advantage and recommend the investments, infrastructure and technological innovations needed to develop them commercially. Otti said the effort would begin with the government-owned Ulonna Farm Settlement in Umuahia.
The governor also urged Presco Plc, a Nigerian agro-industrial company specialising in oil palm operations, to begin its proposed investment at Ulonna, where the state government has approximately 4,200 hectares of land available. Presco's Chairman Rasheed Sarumi said the company was confident about establishing operations in Abia, expressing confidence that the state government understood business requirements. Otti pledged to help secure additional land needed for the project, though he acknowledged concerns from affected communities about land security.
The Vice-Chancellor of MOUAU, Prof Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, noted that Okpara's vision demonstrated how agriculture could drive economic prosperity, industrial growth, employment and social advancement through strategic investments in research, education and rural infrastructure.