By Julius Agadaga, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has urged youths in the state to embrace agriculture as a viable career and wealth-creation opportunity, declaring that farming is a blessing, not a punishment.
Gov Diri, represented by his deputy, Dr Peter Akpe, at 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 initiatives and support for farmers.
The event, held at the Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha Memorial Banquet Hall, had as its theme, “Innovate Today, Nourish Tomorrow.”
The governor called on young people to take advantage of the state’s agricultural potential rather than remain idle while waiting for white-collar jobs.
He also urged civil servants and households to embrace backyard farming, while calling on financial institutions to make credit facilities more accessible to smallholder farmers.
According to him, Bayelsa’s abundant water resources and fertile land provide enormous opportunities for agricultural development, food security and economic prosperity.
Diri said his administration had established strategic partnerships to boost food production, create employment and strengthen the state’s capacity to feed its population.
He recalled that the state had commenced its maiden dry-season farming programme at Otuasega Farm in Ogbia Local Government Area.
The governor also disclosed that, in partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria, rice mills had been installed at the Niger Delta University and the Federal University, Otuoke, to facilitate the processing and marketing of locally produced rice.
He said thousands of farmers across the state’s eight local government areas had received seedlings and other agricultural inputs, while partnerships with CSS Integrated Farms had enabled young people to acquire modern farming skills.
Diri urged farmers to adopt innovative approaches suited to Bayelsa’s peculiar terrain, including flood-tolerant crop varieties, modern aquaculture and soilless farming.
He also emphasised the need for partnerships in food processing, storage and cold-chain infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses.
The governor commended the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) programme for supporting young agripreneurs.
He equally praised the Peremabiri Farmers Cluster for demonstrating the benefits of organised farming and innovation.
On farmers’ security, Diri warned herders against attacking farmers in the state, stressing that the law prohibiting open grazing remained in force.
He charged the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources to work towards achieving the government’s food production targets, particularly its plan to make Bayelsa-produced rice available to residents 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 reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to rural infrastructure, including roads and bridges linking farming communities, as well as improved security for farmers and their crops.
“The actual farming must be done by our people. I therefore call on our youths to see agriculture as a career, not a punishment,” he said.
He added that people from outside the state were already taking advantage of Bayelsa’s agricultural potential through fishing and farming, urging local youths to increase their participation in the sector.
“The grant beneficiaries and agripreneurs sharing their stories with us today are living proof that agriculture in Bayelsa is not only a way of life but also a business that can create wealth and jobs,” the governor said.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Professor Beke Sese, disclosed that more than 17,300 farmers had received direct support through various agricultural programmes since 2020.
He listed the Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme, Diri BOOST and the Prosperity Farmers Grant Scheme among the initiatives supporting farmers in the state.
Sese said 2,106 farmers, fishers and processors across the eight local government areas received grants in 2026 alone, adding that the beneficiaries were expanding their agricultural activities and contributing to the state’s food security drive.
He further announced that Bayelsa’s 410-tonne-per-day rice milling plant was fully operational and processing paddy into polished, locally produced rice.
“We are cultivating 106 hectares of rice and buying paddy from the communities we supply, so that while you plant, you know a buyer is waiting,” the commissioner said.
He disclosed that the rice produced at the facility was undergoing laboratory analysis for food and nutritional certification ahead of its market launch.
According to him, Diri had directed the ministry to produce 300,000 kilogrammes of Made-in-Bayelsa rice by the end of 2026.
“Bayelsa is indeed strengthening its drive towards food sufficiency and economic prosperity,” Sese said.
In his remarks, AFAN National President, Dr Farouk Rabiu Mudi, commended Diri for his administration’s interventions in the agricultural sector.
Mudi, on behalf of the association, presented the governor with an Award of Excellence, naming him the Best Governor in Agricultural Connectivity and Farmers’ Support in the country.
He explained that AFAN introduced the award in August 2026 and selected 12 state governors, representing two from each geopolitical zone, following research and assessments of their respective agricultural programmes.
The AFAN president also presented a crown-shaped trophy to Diri, explaining that the special recognition was reserved for only six governors in the country.
He urged communities and farmers’ associations that were yet to register with AFAN to do so to strengthen their participation in the association and benefit from its activities.
