The Enugu State Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-Industrialization, Mr Patrick Ubru, says the state government is set to launch its 260 Smart Farm Estates meant to revolutionise agriculture and get residents back to farm.

Ubru said this on Monday while leading a team of inspectors on behalf of Gov. Peter Mbah to the site of the Gov. Peter Mbah Smart Farm Estate pilot project at Akpawfu in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.

It would be recalled that the state government had earmarked N2 billion in the 2025 budget for Smart Farm Estates initiative across its 260 political wards in the 17 council areas within the state.

The initiative is under Gov. Mbah’s grassroots agriculture revolution tagged: “One Ward, One Smart Farm Estate’’.

Ubru said that there was a need for step-down town hall meetings for farmers in council areas to take advantage of the initiative, adding: “Time should not be wasted in organising the town hall meeting with the targeted farmers”.

He called on individuals, cooperative societies, communities, corporate organisations and other agencies in the state into agriculture and agro-industrialisation business like IFAD-VCDP and FADAMA to key into the initiative for collaboration in the interest of the people.

According to him, the ‘One Ward, One Smart Farm Estate Initiative’ will be a game-changer for our people, as our agriculture-loving governor is putting everything in place to ensure that our people get its maximum benefits.

The commissioner said, “It will be done in hectares of land, where all types of farming activities such as crop farming and exotic/economic plant such as cocoa, casava, sorghum, vegetables, exotic pepper and spices among others will be practiced.

“The state government will actively collaborate with local government councils to ensure that the initiative works efficiently as well as engage the people, especially youths, in each locality to participate in the initiative as it holds lots of benefits.

”The One Ward, One Smart Farm Estate initiative will solve so many issues particularly unemployment among youths in localities, hunger, food insecurity and knowledge gap on modern agriculture practices as workshops will be organised at local levels.”

On the Smart Farm Estate pilot project inspection, the commissioner expressed satisfaction on the zeal demonstrated by the consultant and his team so far in the project.

“I must confess that the zeal demonstrated here is in consonance with the aspirations of His Excellency, Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah on all projects targeted towards shoring up the state’s economy, especially agriculture and agro-industrialisation projects.

“I am personally happy with the level of security infrastructure placed here and the State Ministry of Agriculture will always be available for any need to ensure that the success story attained by this pilot farm continues,”  he added.

Corroborating, the SPA on Agriculture to the Governor, Engr. Mike Ogbuekwe, explained that the initiative was meant to diversify the state’s economy through agriculture and agro-industrialisation aimed at shoring up the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

“The Smart Farm Estates are expected to grow local needed crops as well as special crops and other agricultural produce for export such Sorghum and Ose Nsukka (special aromatic and ornamental yellow pepper of Nsukka),” Ogbuekwe said.

He also informed the commissioner of the approach by Nigeria Breweries to the state government to work out a partnership for the supply of Sorghum which is its principal raw material at the appropriate time.

Contributing, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Victor Ngwu, said that there was a need for staff of the ministry with experience in communication and documentation to be part of the initiative to get reliable data and statistics.

Earlier, the Consultant to the Smart Farm Estate pilot project, Alh. Friday Nnaji, said that the pilot project is a 200 hectares of farmland for split farms to be allocated to 200 farmers of the local council with each to grow a specific crop.

“The pilot Smart Farm Estate has two entrance points located at its opposite points and there will be an unstoppable electricity supply as well as water supply in the Smart Farm with a plan for irrigation as well as adequate security.

“As you can see, we have commenced the perimeter fencing of the whole farm area; while the central warehouse for the farmers is already constructed above lintel level,” Nnaji said.

A political economist and 2007 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Prof. Pat Utomi, has advised President Bola Tinubu on ways to tackle Nigeria’s surging inflation and food security crisis.

Tinubu, in his New Year address, pledged to prioritise food production and achieve economic stability by implementing policies aimed at reducing inflation and ensuring food security.

The President also pleaded his administration’s commitment to reduce inflation from its current 34.6 per cent to 15 per cent.

But Utomi said the success of the President’s goals would depend on his administration’s ability to tackle insecurity, provide incentives for farmers, and implement effective agricultural policies to create a stable and sustainable food production system in the country.

Utomi, who spoke in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, cautioned against the idea of massive food importation as a solution, warning that it would worsen Nigeria’s foreign exchange problems and undermine local agricultural production.

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He argued that imported food would remain costly due to unfavourable exchange rates, maintaining that any subsidy on such imports would harm the nation’s capacity for sustainable food production.

Utomi said, “There is hunger, real hunger in the land. One of the biggest causes of inflation is food price inflation and it is central to how people feel and their abilities to do other things.

“To address this, the government needs to make a deliberate policy to push down the cost of food by investing in agriculture, giving massive incentives to young people to make farming attractive to them and check insecurity as quickly as possible.”

To address insecurity, Utomi proposed the creation of special agricultural security forces, forest rangers”, to protect farmlands and prevent clashes between farmers and herders or attacks by bandits.

He called on the government to support farmers to embark on irrigation schemes to enable year-round farming.

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“The government should create schemes for unemployed youths, provide them with one hectare of land each, supply inputs, and train them in modern agricultural practices. In 90 days, we could see a significant increase in food production that would force down prices,” Utomi explained.

The All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria has criticized the Senate’s recent passage of a bill to criminalise the export of maize, which includes a minimum one-year jail term for offenders.

In an interview on Thursday, AFAN Chairman, Ifraimu Dauda, called the bill “ill-conceived,” arguing that farmers should have the right to sell their produce wherever they receive the best price.

The Senate, on Wednesday, approved the bill during plenary.

The legislation, which originated from the House of Representatives, prohibits the export of unprocessed maize in quantities of at least one metric ton, introducing penalties that include fines or imprisonment.

The bill states: “Any individual who exports, facilitates the export, induces another person to export, or attempts to export unprocessed maize—whether in grains, on cobs, fresh, or dry—in large commercial quantities is guilty of an offence.”

Dauda contended that the restrictions would negatively impact commercial farmers, who rely on export opportunities for profit maximisation.

He noted that while smallholder farmers producing for local consumption might remain unaffected, large-scale mechanised farmers would suffer.

“Farmers are in business to maximise profits and minimise costs. A restriction on exports denies them access to competitive pricing in international markets,” Dauda said.

The AFAN chairman also warned of unintended consequences, including increased local maize prices due to exporters sourcing supplies through informal channels.

Dauda urged the government to clarify its objectives and prepare contingency plans in case the policy backfires.

“The long-term impact on the agricultural sector and food security must be carefully assessed,” he added.

The bill will now proceed to a conference committee to address outstanding issues, including the treatment of maize derivatives. Its passage has sparked wider debates on balancing agricultural exports with local food security.

The National Onion Producers Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria has declared a state of emergency in the onion industry across the country.

The association also called on all the relevant stakeholders, which includes the government at all levels of the financial house, among others, to rally together for solutions.

Speaking while addressing newsmen in a press briefing on Thursday in Abuja, the President of NOPPMAN, Isa Aliyu, identified some of the problems being faced by his members, which include the rising cost of onion seedlings, post-harvest losses, inflation as well as climate change and extended rainfall patterns.

Aliyu, also the President of the Regional Observatory of Onion Sector in West and Central Africa, said the current economic situation and rising inflation have a ripple effect on the entire sector.

He said, “The cost of farm inputs, fertilizer, pesticides, fuel and labour has soared, with farmers finding it increasingly difficult to break even, let alone turn a profit.

“Climate change has introduced new uncertainties into farming with extended rainfall patterns and other unusual weather conditions disrupting the traditional growing cycles.

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“The excessive rain at unexpected times has led to crop diseases, waterlogging, and poor harvests. As farmers contend with uncertainty, their ability to plan, plant, and harvest effectively is being undermined, leaving the entire industry vulnerable.”

He, however, urged government at all levels, MDAs, policymakers at all levels, research institutions, developmental partners, financial institutions, agricultural organisations and private sector partners to support the industry.

He added, “We request that the government and relevant agencies consider subsidies for Onion seedlings and essential farming inputs to alleviate the financial burden on our farmers.

“We also want the government to address post-harvest losses with the provision of modern storage facilities that can help preserve the quality of onions after harvest as well as reliable transportation systems that can minimise spoilage during transit.”

Aliyu further called on the government at all levels to help members of the association have access to low-interest loans and financial support.

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He also called on agricultural research institutions and government bodies to support training programs that will help equip farmers with climate-smart practices.