Gabriela Ezin, Calabar
Cross River State has facilitated N3 billion in agricultural financing and is targeting N150 billion in private sector investment through its Project GROW initiative aimed at transforming the state’s agricultural sector.
The Coordinator of Project GROW, Dennis Ikpali, disclosed this during a media briefing in Calabar, where he highlighted the programme’s achievements and future plans for expanding agricultural production and agribusiness development.
Ikpali said the state government had established a N30 billion Agri-Development Fund to provide guarantees for investors willing to operate in the agricultural sector, with the goal of leveraging the fund to attract investments worth N150 billion over the next six years.
According to him, the programme currently focuses on priority value chains including rice, maize, cassava, aquaculture and soybean, while also supporting the development of wheat, sorghum, cowpea, groundnut and orange-fleshed sweet potato production.
He noted that Project GROW was designed to strengthen the entire agricultural value chain by connecting farmers, processors, aggregators, input suppliers and mechanisation service providers in a sustainable market system.
The coordinator revealed that the project had secured an offtake agreement with Flour Mills of Nigeria for the supply of 2,000 metric tonnes of soybean and 20,000 metric tonnes of maize valued at about N18 billion, while negotiations were ongoing to include cassava in the arrangement.
He explained that the initiative seeks to address one of the major challenges facing farmers by ensuring access to markets before production begins, thereby reducing losses and improving profitability.
Ikpali further disclosed that more than 5,300 farmers had been trained in collaboration with development partners on good agricultural practices, financial literacy and modern farming techniques.
He added that the programme had cultivated 450 hectares of maize and soybean during its pilot phase and facilitated the delivery of 114 metric tonnes of soybean to processing companies, positioning Cross River as an emerging player in Nigeria’s grain value chain.
The project coordinator also stated that 391 direct jobs had so far been created through the initiative, while additional indirect employment opportunities were expected as activities expand across the state.
Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irration Development, Johnson Ebokpo, said the state government was pursuing an agricultural transformation agenda focused on commercialisation, investment and wealth creation.
Ebokpo said Governor Bassey Otu’s administration views agriculture as a strategic economic sector capable of driving food security, industrialisation, job creation and rural development rather than merely serving as a social intervention programme.
The commissioner maintained that the government would continue to provide policy support for agricultural growth through value-chain development, extension services, climate-smart farming initiatives and partnerships with private investors, while calling on stakeholders to support efforts aimed at positioning Cross River as a leading agricultural hub in Nigeria.
