Diri Highlights Agricultural Partnerships, Urges Youths to Embrace Farming
By Jonah Fubara, YENAGOA – Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has highlighted his administration’s partnerships with agricultural institutions and private-sector operators to boost food production, empower young farmers and strengthen food security, urging youths to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the sector.
Diri, who spoke on Friday during the 2026 World Food Day celebration in Yenagoa, also received an Award of Excellence from the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in recognition of his administration’s agricultural connectivity and support for farmers.
Represented by his deputy, Dr Peter Akpe, the governor said his administration had established strategic partnerships to promote modern farming, improve agricultural infrastructure and expand rice production in the state.
He described agriculture as a viable career and wealth-creation opportunity rather than a punishment, urging young people to move away from excessive dependence on white-collar jobs and participate actively in farming and agribusiness.
The celebration, held at the Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha Memorial Banquet Hall, Yenagoa, had the theme, “Innovate Today, Nourish Tomorrow.”
Diri identified the partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria, which facilitated the installation of rice mills at Niger Delta University and the Federal University, Otuoke, as part of efforts to strengthen the local rice value chain.
He also cited collaboration with CSS Integrated Farms, through which young people had received training in modern agricultural practices, as well as interventions under the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the LIFE-ND programme to develop agribusinesses among youths.
According to him, the state government had distributed seedlings and other farm inputs to thousands of farmers across the eight local government areas, while its dry-season farming programme had commenced at Otuasega Farm in Ogbia Local Government Area.
The governor said the initiatives were designed to increase local food production, create jobs and ensure that Made-in-Bayelsa rice reached consumers in the state.
He urged financial institutions to make credit more accessible to smallholder farmers and encouraged civil servants and households to embrace backyard farming to supplement food supplies.
Diri also called on farmers to adopt innovative methods suited to Bayelsa’s terrain, including flood-tolerant crop varieties, soilless farming and modern aquaculture to complement wild fisheries affected by pollution.
He stressed the importance of food processing, storage and cold-chain facilities in reducing post-harvest losses, while reaffirming his administration’s commitment to providing access roads, bridges to farms and improved security for agricultural communities.
The governor further warned herders against attacking farmers, noting that the state’s law prohibiting open grazing remained in force.
He charged the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources to intensify efforts towards meeting the government’s target of making locally produced rice available to consumers during the Yuletide season.
“Government cannot do it alone, and it should not try to do so. Our role as a government is to create an enabling environment and provide access roads,” he said.
Diri urged Bayelsa youths to return to agriculture and increase their participation in government-supported programmes, noting that farmers from outside the state were already taking advantage of its agricultural potential.
He described beneficiaries of agricultural grants and agripreneurs who shared their experiences at the event as evidence that farming could generate employment and wealth.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Prof. Beke Sese, disclosed that more than 17,300 farmers had received direct support from the state government through various agricultural programmes since 2020.
He listed the Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme, Diri BOOST and the Prosperity Farmers Grant Scheme among the interventions aimed at expanding agricultural production and supporting farmers.
According to Sese, 2,106 farmers, fishers and processors across the eight local government areas received grants in 2026 alone.
He also announced that the state’s 410-tonne-per-day rice milling plant was fully operational, processing paddy into polished Made-in-Bayelsa rice.
The commissioner explained that the state was cultivating 106 hectares of rice and purchasing paddy from local communities to provide farmers with a ready market for their produce.
He added that the rice was undergoing laboratory analysis for food and nutritional certification ahead of its market launch.
Sese said the government had set a target of producing 300,000 kilogrammes of Made-in-Bayelsa rice by the end of 2026, expressing confidence that the target would strengthen the state’s drive towards food sufficiency and economic prosperity.
In his remarks, AFAN National President, Dr Farouk Rabiu Mudi, commended Diri’s agricultural initiatives and presented him with an Award of Excellence as the Best Governor in Agricultural Connectivity and Farmers’ Support in Nigeria.
Mudi explained that the award, introduced in August 2026, followed the association’s research and assessment of agricultural programmes implemented by state governments.
He said AFAN was presenting the recognition to 12 governors, with two selected from each of the country’s six geopolitical zones.
The AFAN president also presented a crown-shaped trophy to the Bayelsa governor, explaining that the special recognition was reserved for only six governors in the country.
He urged farmers and communities that had yet to register with the association to do so to strengthen their participation in organised agricultural development.
