The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, has directed that the Akwa Ibom State Agricultural Development Programme (AKADEP), formerly an agency under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture, now become an autonomous agency, under the supervision of the State Government Secretary’s office.
Eno disclosed this while conducting an impromptu inspection of facilities at the AKADEP premises in Uyo, ordering the immediate renovation of infrastructure in the premises.
The Tree Crop Revolution which was recently announced by the Governor, is aimed at enlarging palm oil production with high-yield varieties and consequently help to create generational wealth for people in the state, especially those in rural communities and ultimately return the state as a leading palm oil-producing state in the nation.
The programme, which is to be managed by the Akwa Ibom State Agriculture and Food Security Committee, is headed by Professor Okon Ansa, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the State, with other members including Prof. Trenchard Ibia, also a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the State.
The Committee is also expected to operate from the premises of AKADEP and work closely with the State Government Secretary’s office to ensure the successful launch of the programme in November across all the ten Federal Constituencies.
Furthermore, the facility is expected to house the nursery for palm fruits that will be distributed to farmers in the ten Federal Constituencies, while the Agriculture and Food Security Committee would off-take the produce during harvesting.
AKADEP is expected to attach at least two extension workers to each of the farms in the ten Federal Constituencies.
