The Akwa Ibom State government has doubled the 24,000 bags of rice donated by the Federal Government with an additional 24,000 bags of 25kg rice to reach more families in need. This was disclosed by Dr. Offiong Offor, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, during a press briefing at the NIJ Secretariat in Uyo on Friday.

Governor Umo Eno’s initiative aims to alleviate hunger, food scarcity, and poverty in the state. Instead of placing blame, the governor has emphasized creative solutions to lift people out of poverty and foster development.

Dr. Offor detailed that each of the 2,272 gazetted villages in the state will receive 20 bags of rice. This distribution includes over 100,000 families from the social register who have already received or will soon receive free food items from the state government through the Bulk Purchase Agency.

The distribution of the food aid from both the Federal and State Governments will be conducted at Local Government Council Headquarters. Council Chairmen will then ensure the safe delivery of the 20 bags of rice to each gazetted village, with distribution dates to be announced soon.

“We are currently facing a significant developmental challenge: hunger caused by food insufficiency, unavailability, and inflation. This issue, a direct result of macro-economic factors, poses a challenge to both federal and state governments,” Dr. Offor stated. “This intervention aims to mitigate the hardship currently faced by our citizens, reducing extreme hunger and poverty in line with Sustainable Development Goal 1. A hungry populace can lead to unrest, making food availability, affordability, and security a priority for this administration.”

Dr. Offor also highlighted the administration’s long-term solution to hunger and food insecurity through the Back to Farm Initiative, promoting local food production. The first and third Fridays of each month have been designated as work-free farming days.

The Ministry of Agriculture has implemented several strategic interventions, including distributing cassava cuttings, maize grains, pepper seedlings, and coconut seedlings to 135 public primary and secondary schools. Additionally, 150,000 cocoa seedlings have been distributed to cocoa farmers, 40,000 oil palm seedlings to oil palm farmers, 80,000 pepper seedlings to vegetable farmers, 20 metric tonnes of rice to rice farmers across the state, and various supplies to poultry farmers.

Furthermore, the administration has provided livelihood grants of N150,000 to 1,560 beneficiaries and agricultural inputs and services to 900 farmers under the AKCARES Scheme.