In the wake of global concern for rising prices of food stuff, the Imo State Governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim has called for a total overhaul of the agricultural sector.
Launching this year’s state cropping season at Umuelemai headquarters of Isiala Mbano LGA,the governor lamented the emerging contentious food situation in the country was regrettable but traced it to the total dependence on oil and unprecedented rural-urban migration by the youths.

According to him, the old farmers in the rural areas are not being replaced by young ones while the subsistence system can no longer sustain the growing population of the country and warned that if the trend is not corrected, there maybe food scarcity reminiscent of the war era.
The Governor intimated that the executive would sponsor a bill to compel people to cultivate available land disclosing that a new tax system would be initiated for purposeful usage of land for agriculture.

He further called on farmers to reorganize and reposition their cooperative associations to enable them benefit from finance houses facilities.

Chief Ohakim who lauded the theme of this years cropping season “Agriculture our heritage"; claims it enlisted strategies to cushion the effect of the imminent food crisis. These include the Imo Executive Council model farms in all the 27 LGs, establishment of one hectare fruit tree parks in the 27 LGAs, the revamping of Adapalm, capacity building for fish farmers extension workers, the reactivation of Nekede Songhai integrated farms, the procurement of 23 tractors and other farming implement to farmers, the procurement and distribution of 11,000 tonnes of assorted fertilizer worth N1.4b, and the consistent payment of counterpart fund to International bodies as NPFS, IFAD, NEPAD FADAMA etc.

The State governor vowed that his administration would ensure the implementation of these strategies to guarantee food security and enjoined all and sundry to participate actively.

Earlier in an address the commissioner for Agriculture, Chief Longers Anyanwu, said his Ministry will continue to package and monitor programmes in the agricultural sector to ensure food security in the State.
In a speech, the host transition Chairman, Chief Timothy Mbarie averred that the global food crisis deserve more than lip service and expressed the conviction that with mechanization and political will agric sector would be salvaged.

Chief Mbarie challenged all stakeholders to brainstorm on the way forward.
Highlight of the cropping season was the inspection of an exhibition of agric produce of the 27 LGs in the State.