Isuikwuato launches agric revolution through ISAREP, flags off 2024 farming season
By Prof Chidi Esike
The social disharmony, disintegration dilapidation, misery and ennui caused by the pervading economic crises in our country was as alarming as it was worrisome. If this persisting condition was worrisome, the cataclysmic sky rocketting of an already bad economic situation that had wiped off the resilient middle class and threw tens of millions of Nigerians into unmitigating poverty by the suddun removal of petroleum subsidy and persisting devaluation of the Naira was a living horror that could only beat the imagination of Nigeria’s bemused, benumbed, hunger- and poverty-stricken hapless citizens.
In the mist of this worsening economic crises to which Isuikwuato and her people were not immuned to and worried by the continuous escalating adverse circumstances, the ensuing hunger, poverty and disruption of the basic societal social fabric, the Isuikwuato Consultatative Forum Abia State decided to intervene in Isuikwuato their beloved home town to reverse the pervading and escalating economy-induced hunger, poverty and social disharmony in their community and replace it with food security, prosperity, progress, youth employment and social harmony by harnessing our God-given resources through agriculture.
This, the Isuikwuato Consultative Forum, an association of eminent Isuikwuato sons and daughters with Major General Azubuike Ihejirika (Rtd), AVM Chinwendu Onyike (Rtd) and Distinguished Senator Emma Nwaka as patrons, Chief Sir Ray Nkemdirim as the leader, Dr Iyke Ezugo as the Coordinator/Administrator and Associate Professor Chidi Esike as the Chairman of the ICF’s Agriculture Action Group decided to do through the vehicle of the Isuikwuato Agriculture Revolution Program – ISAREP. Toiling day and night through a hitherto unknown and uncharted idea cum path for the past one year, the Isuikwuato Consultative Forum, to the glory of God, is bathing this huge and gorgeous ISAREP ship, a program that is not just unique and novel but the only one of its kind, not just in Abia State but arguably in Nigeria.
Through ISAREP, ICF had not just brought about the formation of over 100 farmers Cooperative societies across Isuiwuato but had through tens of millions of naira contributed by her members purchased for planting into Isuikwuato land the best agricultural fast-growing, high- yielding, pest-resistant varieties of over 20,000 palm seedlings, 15,000 bundles of cassava cuttings, 10,000 plantain/banana suckers, 10,000 seed yam, 600kg of maize, thousands of mango, orange, bread fruit (ukwa), ogbono, cocoa nut seedlings, pine apple suckers, potato vines, melon and groundnut. All these seedlings, suckers etc were procured directly from the best sources in our country – the National Institute for Horticultre, Ibadan, Nigerian Institute for Oil plam Research Benin, the National Roots Crops Research Institution Umudike with the organic fertilzer from BIO AG, Abuja.
Not only were these seedlings procured in these institutions, the Isuikwuato Consultative Forum had a memorandum of understanding with these reputable organisations to come and train the Isuikwuato Farmers on best ways of planting and taking care of these seedlinng and supporting them throughout the farming process. In keeping with these MOUs, world acclaimed researchers and trainers had been sent by these institutions and had trained the farmers in the ISAREP Workshop held on 3rd and 4th of April 2024 at the Ndubuisi Kanu Square, Isuikwuato.
And as the Isuikwuato Consultative Forum in collaboration with the Isuikwuato Development Union and the amiable Lord Mayor of Isuikwuato, AVM Chinwendu Onyike (Rtd) and all the good people of Isuikwuato under the distinguished Chairmanship of Major General Azubuike Ihejirika(Rtd) invite you all to witness history being made as we hand over ISAREP and this 2024 Isuikuato farming season to GOD and present this marvellous work of God through The Isuikwuato Consultative Forum to the people and for service to humanity at the official launching of ISAREP and flagging off of the 2024 Isuikwuato farming season on Friday, 5TH April, 2024 at the Ndubuisi Kanu Square near Isuikwuato Local Government Area, Isuikwuato, we say, “To God Be All The Glory.”
