The Abia government, on Thursday, launched the Abia Agriculture Dynamic Database System (ABIA ADDS) platform for farmers in the state.

The platform is a digital initiative designed to boost agricultural data collection, farmer identification, planning, and targeted interventions across the 17 local government areas of the state.

The initiative is expected to empower farmers, improve productivity, and make Abia a leading agricultural hub in Nigeria.

Mr Otti unveiled the initiative at the two-day Abia Tech and Innovation Summit, holding at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia.

The governor, represented by his chief of staff, Caleb Ajagba, described the launch as a transformative and innovative event for the agricultural development of the state.

He said the initiative was a fulfilment of a promise he made when he assumed office in 2023 to pursue a transformative agenda that would rebuild the economy from the grassroots.

He said : “Agriculture is not merely a sector of our economy, it is the heartbeat of our communities and a pathway to sustainable prosperity for our people

“For too long, the challenge in agriculture has not been the lack of potential or interest of our teeming population, but the deficit of timely, reliable information and coordinated action.

“Farmers have, before now, lacked reliable data, predictable access to inputs, extension services, finance and markets.

“Policymakers have had to rely on fragmented, outdated data to make decisions.

“Gaps in registration, land use information, value chain mapping and market intelligence have constrained investment and undermined productivity.”

In a keynote speech, the commissioner for agriculture, Cliff Agbaeze, said that the historic launch ushered in an era, where decisions would be guided by truth, accuracy and intelligence, not assumptions.

Mr Agbaeze said that Abia ADDS was launched because for decades, farmers had worked tirelessly, yet largely invisible in the system, “unknown, uncounted, unaccounted for and unrecognised”.

He said that the project was anchored on the vision of the governor to establish a sustainable, competitive and resilient agricultural sector.

He further said that it was designed to boost food production, create job opportunities and contribute to the state’s economic growth.

“The Abia ADDS platform is more than a database; it is a powerful engine of transformation.

“With it, we can now know every real farmer in Abia; plan targeted, efficient, and equitable interventions; and distribute inputs fairly and transparently, among other things,” he said.

(NAN)