Cross River earmarks N800m for large-scale farmers

Cross River State government has earmarked $5 million (N800m) in its World Bank assisted programme for agricultural production for large-scale farmers in the state to increase their capacity in food production.

Another N231,095,790.00 was said to have been given out as loans to farmers in nine local government areas of the state since 2008, for the establishment of small-scale agricultural enterprises.

James Aniyom, the state commissioner for agriculture, said this at a press briefing recently at the Ernest Etim Bassey Press Centre, Calabar, the state capital, on the activities of his ministry in the last two years.

According to Aniyom, the Cross River State Agricultural Development Programme is collaborating with the National Programme on Food Security (NPFS), which is an African Development Bank project.

The NPFS is currently constructing 30-kilometre of rural roads in Akwa-Ubom in Akpabuyo Local Government Area, Igbo Imabana in Abi Local Government Area and Nyaya in Bekwara Local Government Area of the state.

Aniyom said under his care the ministry had been re-position from a database of 33,900 registered farmers to 114,000 registered farmers in 2013, saying plans were underway to build a 45-metric ton of cassava processing plants in Obubra, rice processing mills in Adim in Biase, reinvigorate the Bansara Rice Mills in Ogoja Local Government to help boast agricultural production.