By Chinedum Anayo
Leave it to a four-year period in Imo State when agriculture was less of a talking point and more of a working system.
From 2007 to 2011, many farmers still cite the era when conversations drift to productivity, access, efficiency, and structure.
When Longers Anyanwu assumed office as Commissioner for Agriculture, during Governor Ikedi Ohakim’s administration in 2007, the sector was struggling under familiar problems, ranging from low yields to weak coordination, and minimal value addition.
Farming remained largely subsistence, with little connection to processing or markets. The task before the ministry then was not reinvention, but restoration.
One of the earliest shifts came with the deliberate move toward smallholder-focused interventions.
Rather than concentrating projects in urban centres, cottage agro-industries were established in every ward across the state.
These included oil palm processing units, cassava and garri processing centres, and fish farming projects, implemented through collaborative frameworks such as FADAMA, the Agricultural Development Programme (ADP), and World Bank-supported initiatives.
For rural farmers, this served as a transition from raw production to local processing and income stability.
During that period, Imo State became an active participant in major federal agricultural programmes, including the Root and Tuber Expansion Programme (RTEP), and benefited from value-chain support in palm oil and rubber development.
This ensured that national agricultural policies were not abstract ideas but working programmes with local impact.
A defining intervention of the era was the introduction of five million high-yield hybrid palm seedlings, cultivated and distributed from Nekede, Owerri LGA.
The initiative helped revive palm cultivation and strengthened the palm oil value chain across several communities.
Elsewhere, agricultural infrastructure expanded steadily.
A functional fish farm was re-activated in Umunna, Okigwe and handed over to the Agro-Noval initiative in partnership with South-African farmers who came to revive and to lead the commercial policy of the government serving both production and training purposes across the state.
There was a huge Cassava processing plant that needed revitalization.
Thus, cassava farming experienced a notable turnaround, with yields improving from an average of two tons per cycle to about fifteen tons, following the distribution of high-yield cassava stems.
It was the first time farmers improved inputs translated directly into measurable output.
Beyond production, governance played a quiet but critical role.
The procurement and distribution of fertiliser and farm inputs during that period were conducted without disruption or controversy, earning the trust of farmers, institutions and stakeholders.
The state also qualified for agricultural grants and credit facilities from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), accessed through the Imo State Agricultural Credit Loan Board (ISACLB), widening farmers’ access to financing.
The reintroduction of agricultural extension services, supported by trained extension officers, helped bridge the gap between policy and practice.
Farmers were not only given inputs but guidance, an element often missing in previous interventions.
When his tenure concluded, the results of his leadership were widely acknowledged.
In recognition of his accomplishments at the state level, the Federal Government tasked Anyanwu with the role of Chairman of the Arable Crop Production Corporation while he continued to serve as Commissioner.
This position offered an opportunity to harmonise state-level projects with federal programmes, as Anyanwu ensured that Imo State’s farmers remained a priority in national planning.
Town unions, traditional rulers, and agricultural stakeholders within and outside Imo State honoured the administration with awards for performance.
At the national level, the period also saw Anyanwu emerge as Chairman of the Conference of State Commissioners for Agriculture in Nigeria (2009 – 2011), a role that placed him among those shaping agricultural coordination across states.
Years later, many of the structures and approaches introduced during that time remain reference points whenever discussions turn to agricultural reform in Imo State.
As a result of these interventions, the Federal Government established a network of strategic grain storage facilities in Ezinachi, Okigwe LGA.
These complexes are intended to be part of the Strategic Grain Reserve programme, designed to store grains (like maize, rice, sorghum) for food security and price stability.
The Federal Government under the President Tinubu’s administration has reportedly been preparing to release grains from the reserve to help curb food price hikes, such as bagging and distributing grains to agencies like NEMA for targeted support.
Widely regarded as a grassroots politician, Anyanwu bears the traditional title of Ebubedike Obowo, a revered chieftaincy honour among the Obowo clan.
Many locals emphasize that his deep ties to communities allowed him to implement policies that truly addressed farmers’ needs.
The significance of Longers Anyanwu’s tenure as Commissioner of Agriculture is not measured by accolades alone, but by the lasting structures, systems, and trust he built at the grassroots.
His work was never about headlines or personal glory; it was about witnessing the needs of farmers, responding to them, and leaving behind a framework that continues to guide agricultural practice in Imo State.
It was indeed an era that demonstrated what deliberate planning, transparent execution, and grassroots-focused policy could achieve, more like a period when agriculture was allowed to work.
Today, that legacy finds renewed relevance under the administration of Governor Hope Uzodinma, whose government has continued to prioritise agriculture as a strategic pillar for food security, economic recovery, and rural development in Imo State.
Under the current administration of Governor Uzodinma, agriculture has continued to receive strategic attention with the rehabilitation of key agricultural assets such as the Adapalm plantation and the Acharaubo Farm Estate, revitalising previously moribund farm infrastructure and creating renewed opportunities for production and employment in the sector.
His administration has shown commitment not just to recovery, but to long-term growth, by strengthening partnerships, agricultural assets, and aligning Imo State’s policies with national food security objectives.
These approaches strongly reflects international best practices, similar to those seen in developed countries where investments in modern farm estates, mechanized production systems, and value-chain integration ensure high productivity, food security, and economic sustainability.
The government has also supported the distribution of improved seedlings and the expansion of palm plantation areas at Ngor-Okpala and other localities, strengthened partnerships for irrigable land cultivation, and worked with federal agencies to enhance food security and align state initiatives with broader agro-industrial goals.
These are practices reminiscent of successful agricultural models in countries like the United States, the Netherlands, and Brazil, where farm infrastructure, research, and market linkage are fully integrated.
In this light, the agricultural strides recorded between 2007 and 2011 are not merely historical milestones, but benchmarks that continue to inform current policy direction.
They serve as a reminder that when governance remains intentional and people-focused, progress in agriculture is not episodic, it is sustained.
It is safe to say that under Gov. Uzodinma’s watch, agriculture has regained strategic relevance as a tool for economic stability, employment creation, and rural inclusion in Imo State.
This flashback is part of an ongoing series examining past public service interventions and their long-term impact.
