By Onwa Ekor, Calabar
In a deliberate move to switch from subsistence to commercial farming, Cross River government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Development, has entered into a pact with Nigeria Agricultural Mechanization and Equipment Leasing Company, NAMEL, to develop 12,000 hectares of farm land across the state, beginning with 2,000 hectares in Odukpani local government area of the state.
Signing the pact on behalf of the state government, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnson Ebokpo, remarked that the move was in line with the Governor, Prince Bassey Otu’s resolve to reduce maximally physical waste and subsidize productivity.
“This land is the first form of productivity, so we are here today to award this contract of clearing and developing 12,000 hectares of land by NAMEL, for the benefit of our state and the good of all citizens.
“This land will be put to use for the singular purpose of cultivating crops like maize, cassava, possibly rice, cattle fodder, cowpea and a few other crops.
“The activities of this farm will be centred around a market system that is clearly defined where there is an off-taker of what ever that will be cultivated in these farms,” Ebokpo said.
Applauding the governor, Prince Bassey Otu, for his vision to take the state ten steps ahead of where Cross River has been over the last 50 years, the Commissioner recalled that such commercial endeavour was last seen in 1966.
He listed the gains of the Prince Otu’s initiative to include, transformation of the landscape across the state, benefit to farmers and businesses, improved trade as well as to generate revenue for the state, among others.
Continuing, the Commissioner explained that the land will be parcelated into small holder portions to farmers for large scale cultivation.
Ebokpo also sued for cooperation from community members, urging them to take advantage of the rare initiative of the governor, in order to check hunger and famine.
Chief Executive Officer of NAMEL, Dr. Ahmed Adekunle, thanked the governor for the confidence reposed in his company, remarking that the only way to move the paradigm shift in agricultural development is to work on contiguous farm land.
“For now, we are opening 2,000 hectares of farmland, we are going to open a stretch of about five to ten kilometers and all that you see there will be farm and also provide mechanization.
“The duration is between two and half years to three, we are going to manage the financing very well, so every year we are going to give nothing less than 5,000 hectares.
“We are starting with 500 hectares which we are delivering in the next six to eight weeks. ‘Project Grow’ will come right behind to also deploy 500 farmers,” Adekunle stated.
For the Community Chief who led a team from the Odukpani axis, Etubom Justin Asuquo, “we will offer 100 percent cooperation because we have envisaged the benefits of the project in our community, we are going to work as partners because we want development,” hinting that, “we have 20,000 hectares of land which we are ready to give out to investors.”
Chief of Staff to the governor, Hon. Emmanuel Ironbar, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Chief of Staff, Dr. Dominic Ogbeche, commended the governor for the initiative, reaffirming that the value chain is enormous.
“This agreement is a deliberate attempt to diversify the economy, put food on the table and remove the youths from the streets by engaging them productively because an idle mind is the devil’s workshop,” he said.
The Chief of Staff who applauded the community members for the land, also charged all partners involved to work assiduously in ensuring the success of the project.
State Project Director of Project Grow, Mr. Denis Ikpali, Acting Programme Manager of Cross River State Agricultural Development Programme, Mr. Bassey Emogor, among others expressed their various commitments to the project.
Deputy Manager of Zenith bank, Magdalyn Wilson and NAMEL’s Bank – United Bank for Africa, UBA, represented by Linda Ogundu, equally pledged total support to the cause of the project.
Earlier, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Mr Ekpe Bassey, remarked that the governor has in his vision turned the minds of the citizenry to the right tract as it were in the 50s and 60s where the people were self sufficient without any complain of hunger.
He further expressed hope that the project will unlock the potentials of agriculture in the state while opening up vistas of opportunities for the citizenry.
