By Onwa Ekor
To ensure that agriculture remains the mainstay of the economy through a deliberate shift from subsistence farming to large-scale, commercial agriculture with emphasis on value addition, Cross River government through its Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Development, has procured 108 mini-medium sized tractors for subsidized distribution to duly registered farmers’ cooperatives across the state.
Briefing newmen in Calabar, the Cross River capital, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon Johnson Ebokpo, explained that the tractors so procured have been specially designed to suit the local terrain and are optimized for economic utility.
Ebokpo informed that “each 30 horsepower tractor is equipped with five core implements which includes a ridger, seed planter, plough, harrow, and a-one ton trailer bucket.”
In addition to their farming capabilities, the Commissioner said, “these tractors can generate electricity to power grinding machines, irrigation pumps, and dryers,” adding that “they are fuel-efficient, utilizing a maximum of just 11 litres of diesel to prepare one hectare of farmland.”
According to him, government recognizes the tireless efforts of smallholder farmers and acknowledges the hurdles they face, hence the interventions targeted at subsidizing productivity and creating enabling systems to reduce their burden.
He maintained that the governor, Prince Bassey Otu, in his resolve for a transformative agricultural agenda in line with his ‘People First mantra’ would not rest on his oars towards prioritizing agricultural reforms that address challenges from the roots while creating real, measurable value for farmers and communities.
“One of the major interventions has been land preparation, a fundamental challenge for many of our farmers.
“Through strategic collaboration with the National Agricultural Mechanization and Equipment Leasing Company (NAMEL), we are pioneering mechanized agriculture in the state.
“In initiatives like Project Grow and the Cassava Value Chain Development Project, lands are cleared, prepared, and parcellated for efficient use by farmers, ushering in a new era of ease and productivity,” Ebokpo said.
To ensure transparency in distribution, the Commissioner remarked that, a committee was constituted and handed a comprehensive framework to guide the process.
“Following a public call, application forms were made available to interested cooperatives. This exercise lasted for over two weeks and is now closed. Meanwhile, several tractors and implements have already arrived; assembly is ongoing at the Ministry’s premises and the Committee is wrapping up the screening process after which, list of successful applicants will be published,” he stressed.
Continuing, the Commissioner informed that “farmer registration registers have been made available at every local government council, and we encourage every farmer in Cross River to visit their local Director of Agriculture to register for free under their preferred value chains.
“This registration is critical as it allows government to reach the right farmers with the right support at the right time,” he pointed out, adding, “we hereby make a passionate appeal to all local government Chairmen to lead ongoing advocacy efforts by mobilizing farmers to register under the value chain of their choice and to facilitate registration within their respective councils.
Ebokpo also hinted that government is investing in the emerging coffee value chain as Cross River government had signed a strategic partnership agreement with JR Farms, a Rwandan investor, to support coffee development.
He added that under this partnership, “we will distribute 5 million seedlings, comprising four million Arabica coffee seedlings to Boki and Obanliku, and one million Robusta seedlings across Abi, Etung, Obubra, Ogoja, Yala, Biase, Akamkpa, Akpabuyo, Odukpani, and Yakurr local government areas,” a distribution which will commence between June and July this year with a second phase of 30 million seedlings scheduled for 2026.
“Allocation of the two varieties ( Arabica and Robusta) is based on the current map detailing elevation and rainfall requirement of coffee.
“For Arabica coffee, cultivation will be done within areas of comparative advantage in Obanliku, Boki, Obudu, Akamkpa, Ikom, Obubra, Etung, Yakurr and Yala local government areas
while all areas of Biase, Odukpani, Yala, Bekwarra, Ogoja, Akpabuyo, Yakurr, Obubra, Calabar South and Calabar municipal are suitable for lowland Robusta coffee cultivation excluding swampy areas.
“In the coming weeks, enumerators will be deployed to all identified areas to profile interested farmers and facilitate their integration into cooperatives,” Ebokpo assured.
As part of the Coffee Development Program, the Commissioner said, “the state government will establish wash stations and state-owned commercial coffee estates to promote value addition and drive large-scale production, even as we encourage local government Authorities to complement this effort by setting up mini coffee estates in their areas.”
He assured that the state government will provide support through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework to ensure sustainability and shared prosperity.
