The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Victor Kii, in a statement by his Press Officer, Rebecca Anumaka, made this call at the recently concluded meeting of Commissioners of Agriculture from the six BRACED States which include all the states South-South states, held in Port Harcourt.

Kii, highlighted the importance of addressing challenges such as land preparation and access to quality seedlings in order to drive agricultural growth.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Maurice Ogolo, KII outlined several agricultural initiatives implemented by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, including the formation of the Rivers State Economic Summit, the visit to the forty five thousand-metric-ton cassava processing plant, the establishment of a Task Force on the revitalization of the Rivers State Songhai Initiative, and the development of the Rumuodumaya Feed Mill, among others.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Delta State, identified key issues impeding agricultural progress, such as the lack of raw materials and insufficient markets for farm produce, as he advocated for increased collaboration among the BRACED States to address these challenges.

Delivering the keynote address, retired Agricultural Economist and lecturer at Rivers State University, Professor Chukwu Igwe, stressed the need to enhance existing agricultural machinery, foster stronger relationships with farmers, bolster institutions like the FADAMA Projects, and encourage research to advance agricultural development.

In a brief comment, the Director of Livestock-Veterinary Services at the Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Godswill Ukoikpoko, emphasized the importance of having professional agriculturists in key positions to oversee agricultural activities, just as he called on the commissioners to form a union to drive government policies down to the grassroots.