Farmers in Imo State should not fold their arms and lament the dearth of arable land in the state, as there are solutions to the problem. This was the submission of Emeka Ihedioha, former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives and the politician who was removed by the court in 2020, after one year in office as governor. He was speaking at the Mbaise Policy Roundtable (MPR) 2025 Annual Global Summit held at Ahiara, Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area with the theme “From Farm to Fortune, Tech to Cash: Leveraging Acquired Agriculture and Digital Skills for Financial Success and Development of Mbaise”
Rt. Hon. Ihedioha, an Mbaise son, advised farmers in Mbaise and Imo in general to farm in clusters, conduct soil tests to ascertain the best crops for each soil type, and collectively fight challenges, while remaining disciplined, self-reliant and patient. He said, “We have a big problem of land availability for farming, which will take us time to deal with, but we must remain committed to touching the lives of the downtrodden through communal efforts, such as farming.”
The former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives continued: “The sole responsibility of a government is the welfare of the people, and that welfare is embedded in the policies and programmes of the government. I will enjoin you to take part in successful ventures and be productive, accept that you want to be a successful farmer and take the necessary steps to achieve that by being dedicated and committed.”
Other people who spoke at the event include an agribusiness expert, Miss Ngozi Okechukwu. In her contribution, she addressed the agribusiness value chain development and the challenge of accessing funds by farmers. According to her, finance, marketing, adequate infrastructure, and sound policies are key to sustainable individual and collective prosperity. She, however, recommended the promotion of public private partnerships, self-help cluster farming, and an innovative farming model aimed at identifying and addressing farmers’ financial and marketing challenges to ensure sufficient food production and security.