Governor Bassey Otu has reaffirmed his administration's commitment to making agriculture the backbone of Cross River State's economy, revealing that his government is investing heavily in modern farming, agro-processing, research, and value addition to unlock the state's vast agricultural potential.
Speaking during an interview with media personality Diana Mary Nsan on her programme Dialogue, the governor said agriculture was deliberately chosen as one of the key pillars of his administration's long-term development strategy after a careful assessment of the state's economic realities.
According to Otu, Cross River's economy was once sustained by agriculture before the discovery of crude oil, making it necessary to return to that foundation.
"We realised that agriculture had to become one of the pillars of our long-term development strategy. Even before the discovery of oil, agriculture was the backbone of our economy and the primary source of livelihood for our people," he said.
The governor disclosed that his administration found that the last major agricultural revolution in the state occurred during the era of the late Governor Michael Okpara, while many plantations and farm settlements established decades ago had since been neglected.
To reposition the sector, Otu said the government first embarked on a comprehensive digital soil-mapping exercise, enabling investors and farmers to determine the most suitable crops for every part of the state before making investment decisions.
He explained that the government has also established pilot farms across Cross River and created an Agro-Processing Zone to ensure agricultural products are processed locally into semi-finished and finished products rather than exported as raw commodities.
"Our objective is to ensure that more value is added within Cross River instead of exporting raw commodities," the governor stated.
He noted that the government also introduced agricultural policies covering strategic crops such as cocoa, coffee, cassava, oil palm, soybean, Arabica coffee, and Robusta coffee to strengthen production and protect farmers.
According to him, one of the biggest challenges facing farmers had been exploitation by middlemen, who purchased farm produce at very low prices before making huge profits elsewhere.
To address this, Otu said the state launched Project Grow, an initiative under his People First agenda that prepares farmland for farmers before allocating it to them.
He explained that government clears and prepares large parcels of land, sometimes up to 50 hectares, significantly reducing farmers' production costs while increasing productivity.
The governor added that the programme has attracted international recognition, with officials from the World Bank describing it as one of the best agricultural models they had encountered and considering aspects of it for replication elsewhere.
On research and innovation, Otu disclosed that the state has partnered with federal agricultural research institutes, international research organisations, and United Nations-supported agencies to develop improved seed varieties suited to Cross River's climate and soil conditions while delivering higher yields.
He expressed satisfaction with the performance of the state's pilot farms, saying nearly all of them had recorded encouraging results.
Governor Otu further explained that agriculture forms a critical part of the state's broader economic vision, particularly its proposed Deep Seaport project.
According to him, the goal is for ships arriving at Cross River's ports to leave with agricultural produce and processed products destined for international markets, thereby strengthening exports and supporting local industries.
He maintained that agriculture remains the future of Cross River's economy and expressed confidence that ongoing investments, coupled with support from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration, would produce even more visible results within the next two to three years.
"We have laid the foundation, and building that foundation has not been easy. But we are confident we have made the right decisions," the governor said.
He added that development partners, commercial banks and farmers have already begun witnessing significant improvements, expressing optimism that Cross River is steadily moving towards greater food security, agricultural self-sufficiency and sustainable economic growth.
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