The Abia State government has taken  steps towards exploiting   the agricultural potentials of the State by developing  two million nursery palm seeds  at Ayaba Umueze in Osisioma Ngwa Local  Government  Area of the State. The State plans to plant ten million oil palm trees  between now and  2019 .

 The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Uzor Azubuike while  flaging  off of the planting of the Tenera species of the two million oil palm nuts declared that the program is part of the government's efforts to make the State an agricultural-based economy.

 The Commissioner who stood in for Governor Okezie Ikpeazu declared that for  the first time since after the Premier  Michael Okpara era,  farm estates are being developed in the Eastern region,  by any government in the Eastern part of Nigeria. He maintained that this is the time for Abians to secure their future from imminent famine by buying into the viable project

 Azubuike assured that the programme will generate employment for Abia's teeming youths, especially the host communities and maintain that the days of Abia palm is gradually setting in.

 The occasion featured enthusiastic national youth corp members who were at the venue to contribute their quota to the reviving of the agric-based economy in the State through planting of the sprouted,  improved palm nuts.

 In an interview,  Azubuike said that the Tenera specie was a crossbreed of the pacifera and dura which is best for both oil production and extraction of the nuts and assured that the palms when planted, will after 11 months of nursery  start fruiting within a space of 2-3 years if properly managed.

 The commissioner added  that the palms will be planted in all the government acquired palm estates in the  State stressing  that the new species will be used to replace the old groves in the State.