Abia State is being moulded into a State to reckon with in the near future in Agro-Business.
This will be made feasible by the ingenuity and foresight of the Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s
administration to delve into commercial agriculture as a fallback, since the petro-dollars
are not flowing in again.
As part of its efforts to make the State an Agric-base economy embarked on oil palm revolutionary
agriculture program to develop two million nursery at Ayaba Umueze in Osisioma Ngwa L. G.A.,
out of the ten million oil palm the State had planned to plant between now and to the year 2019 .
The flag off of the planting of the Tenera species of the two million oil palm nuts by the representative of the governor, the honourable
commissioner for Agriculture, Barrister Uzor Azubike was epochal and commendable.
According to the commissioner, this it the first time since after the Michael Okpara era who developed lots of farm estates in the eastern
region this laudable programme would be embarked on by any government in the eastern
part of Nigeria.
He maintained that this is the
time for Abians to secure their future from imminent famine.
Barrister Uzor Azubuike assured
that the programme will generate employment for the teeming youths, especially the host communities and maintain that the days of Abia
palm is gradually setting in.
The occasion featured enthusiastic national youth corp members who were at the venue to contribute their quota to the reviving of the Agric
sector economy in Abia State through planting of the sprouted improved palm nuts.
In an interview with the commissioner for Agriculture, Barrister Uzor Azubike said that the
Tenera specie was a crossbreed of the pacifera and dura which is best for both oil production and extraction of the nuts and assured that the palms when planted after 11 months of nursery will start fruiting within a space of 2-3 years if properly managed.
The commissioner also stated that the palms will be planted in all the government acquired palm
estates in Abia State adding that the new species will be used to replace the old groves in the State.
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