Increased Food Production will drive Prosperity in Imo — Longers Anyanwu

Imo State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Chief Longers Anyanwu, has called on traditional rulers, community leaders and farmers across the state to return to their farmlands.

Anyanwu, in an interview with Orient 94.5 FM on Wednesday, said that the state government had, over the past six years, faced a sustained challenge in securing rural farmlands from hoodlums who had occupied or restricted access to agricultural lands.

He commended Governor Hope Uzodinma for what he described as decisive efforts to reclaim and secure farmlands, thereby improving farmers’ access to agricultural communities across the state.

The commissioner urged traditional rulers and community leaders to take the lead in returning to the farms and encouraging their people to embrace agriculture.

According to him, the state is targeting an increase in cassava production from the current average of about 30 tonnes per hectare to between 40 and 45 tonnes per hectare through improved farming practices and the adoption of high-yield varieties.

Ayanwu also highlighted the government’s Tractor Hire Scheme, explaining that the initiative had provided tractors and mechanised farming support to farmers to improve productivity and reduce the burden of manual or subsistence farming.

He further spoke on the state’s access to federal government support for irrigation, noting that the administration’s efforts had contributed to Imo securing an allocation for one of the Federal Government’s pivot irrigation systems.

The commissioner encouraged Imo residents to view agriculture as both a source of food security and economic opportunity.

“Our people should realise that the more food you make, the more money you make,” he said.

Ayanwu also commended the governor for supporting the distribution of high-yield agricultural seeds to farmers through the office of the First Lady of Imo State.

He said the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security was working closely with traditional rulers, community heads, agricultural experts and other relevant stakeholders to develop sustainable strategies for increasing food production across the state.

The commissioner said the collaboration was aimed at ensuring that government agricultural initiatives reached farmers at the grassroots and contributed meaningfully to food security in Imo State.