By Patrick Odey
Akwa Ibom State Government has said it will soon inaugurate its Agric Equipment Leasing Company as part of efforts to promote large-scale mechanised farming in the state.
Governor Umo Eno disclosed this while fielding questions from Government House correspondents shortly after inspecting the progress of work at the company’s facility located at Ekpri Nsukara in Uyo on Thursday.
In a statement obtained from the Government House Press Unit on Friday, the governor commended the contractor for the progress recorded at the project site.
“There is a lot of improvement in the work done here to get the company kick-started in earnest.
“The contractor has given her word that the project will soon be inaugurated, and I hold her to that,” he said.
Eno explained that the essence of the project is to encourage farmers to embrace large-scale farming in order to boost productivity, increase earnings and ensure food sufficiency in the state.
“The farming season is here again, and we are putting everything in place for this project to function optimally. There are over 25 tractors with tracking devices and two low-bed trucks in readiness for the agriculture programme.
“What we intend to do here is to lease these equipment to our farmers across the state at subsidised rates so that they can utilise it for improved farming productivity.
“These farming equipment range from ploughs to harvesters and other implements that will help improve farming output,” he said.
The governor noted that the initiative forms part of his administration’s strategy to mechanise farming methods in the state in order to achieve large-scale crop production and increase farmers’ profits.
Speaking on the government’s tree-crop revolution programme, Eno assured that the initiative would commence once the rainy season sets in, noting that such crops thrive better during the rainy season.
“The nursery for palm seedlings has already been established, and the necessary enumeration of farmers has been conducted across the state.
“Within the next two weeks, the seedlings will be distributed to farmers for planting across the state,” he added.
The governor urged farmers to take advantage of the various agricultural programmes introduced by the government to enhance large-scale farming output and improve economic growth in the state.
