Edo Moves to Flush Out Ghost Farmers and Strengthen Agriculture

The Edo State Government has launched a comprehensive farmer profiling exercise and grassroots field engagement to ensure that agricultural support programmes reach genuine farmers rather than politically connected imposters.

Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Jerry Uwangue, said the initiative was borne out of a determination to put an end to what he called the era of “political farmers,” describing individuals who hijack government interventions without actually farming.

The commissioner and key ministry officials recently toured agrarian communities across Akoko-Edo, Etsako East, Etsako Central, Etsako West, Owan East, and Owan West in Edo North, interacting directly with farmers to gather firsthand data for targeted policy interventions.

Uwangue said the engagement was also aimed at promoting a cluster farming model, explaining: “We urge farmers to key into the ongoing profiling exercise and embrace the cluster farming model, an integrated system designed to boost productivity and economies of scale.

Under this initiative, the government will facilitate land clearing, structured allocation of farmlands, provision of inputs and mechanisation services, irrigation support, and the establishment of security architecture to safeguard both farmers and agric investments.”

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He added that the field visits were unprecedented in the eyes of many farmers. “It was the first time they were witnessing a commissioner visit farmers across every local government, engage them directly, and take deliberate steps to ensure that interventions reach real farmers rather than being hijacked by politically connected individuals or opportunistic middlemen,” he said.

The commissioner also disclosed plans to build modern storage and aggregation facilities across the state’s three senatorial districts to reduce post-harvest losses and stabilise market prices, alongside partnerships with verified off-takers to guarantee structured market access for farmers.