UYO- Prof. Etok Ekanem, Akwa Ibom’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, has said that the state government will spend N560 million on its Integrated Farmers’ Scheme (IFS) this year.
Ekanem made this known on Wednesday in Uyo while speaking with newsmen.
He said that the IFS was established to gradually replace the ageing farming population who, he noted, were still using crude farming implements, such as hoes and cutlasses, for their subsistence farming.
He said that a total of 574 persons had been trained under the scheme this year.
“Each of the trainees was given N500,000 to fund any agricultural venture of his choice in areas such as piggery, poultry, vegetables, plantain, pineapple, fisheries, cassava, snail farming, among others,” he said.
Ekanem said that another batch of 310 applicants, who had indicated interest in the scheme, would be selected this week.
The commissioner said that the scheme was targeted at “young and dynamic school leavers” who wanted to engage in agriculture and allied activities, in order to reduce unemployment and boost food production.
He said that government had commenced work on the construction of a hatchery in Mbiaya, Uruan Local Government Area, under its Accelerated Livestock and Fish Production Programme.
He said that the programme was aimed at producing about 40,000 day-old chicks weekly.
He noted that the daily demand for day-old chicks in the state had increased to about 30,000, saying that the government was determined to boost poultry farming in the state.
Speaking on the current food crisis, Ekanem said that the government was spending N21 million to buy 600 tonnes of grains for the people.
He said that the N1.67 billion allocated to the ministry in this year’s budget would not be enough to meet the financial needs of the agricultural programmes.
“With the projects that are on the ground and those that are ongoing, under the new initiative on agricultural development, the ministry expects an increase in its budgetary allocation in 2009,” he said.
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