Ikpeazu
Abia State governor Okezie Ikpeazu has bemoaned the lack of arable land for agriculture in the state, which he said also applies to the entire South East geopolitical zone. He said the little land that is available in his state is being shared between agricultural, commercial and industrial ventures.
He said though commerce and industry are all part of his five pillars of driving the state economy, namely agriculture, commerce, industry, oil/gas and education, "the implication of this reality is that the kind of agricultural practice we undertake in Abia State must be scientific and precise to enable us maximize the best yield from the land we are working with."
Gov. Ikpeazu said development of the agricultural value-chain would require mechanised farming tools and equipments that guarantee higher yield using less labour to make maximum impact.
He stated the need to make agriculture attractive to youths through embarking on mechanised farming.
He listed other incentives to boost agriculture in the state to include arrangement with Micro-Finance Banks " to roll out various financing incentives for agricultural activities at reasonable interest rates."