‘We are on course to revolutionise agriculture in Cross River state’
Egrinya Eneji is an agricultural expert and Cross River State Commissioner for Agriculture. In this interview with MIKE ABANG, he bares his mind on a wide range of issues bordering on what the state is doing to ensure that agriculture takes its pride of place.
What plans do you have in the pipeline to make agriculture more productive in Cross River State?
The governor of Cross River state has charged the ministry of agriculture in the state to become the bedrock of socio-economic revival. We will reach out to farmers directly with subsidised inputs, working directly with farming cooperatives in the state for proper distribution of inputs and cutting out exploitative middle-men/women. We also plan to mobilise our extension staff to get involved in assisting farmers improve on their farming methods and conveying their problems to us for prompt solutions. This time, we are looking at agriculture holistically; we are paying equal attention to crop and animal farmers, including fishers. More importantly, we have begun to welcome credible foreign investors into our commercial agricultural projects, particularly in the production of rice, maize, sugarcane and even animal feeds; some MOUs have also been signed. Government will focus on providing the best enabling environment for these investors, but we will also request that they share their production technology with our small and medium-scale farmers, to help strengthen the value chain and live up to their corporate social responsibility.
Has the state government paid its counterpart funding with the federal government as regard IFAD programme?
The IFAD programme is supported and funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the federal government , the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Cross River State Government. So far, our state has been up to date with its counterpart contribution. The programme focuses on poverty reduction, using community development approach to improve the living standard and quality of life of rural families. The key target groups under the programme are the rural women and youths. More than 57,000 rural households in 27 communities of Akpabuyo, Odukpani, Biase, Yakurr, Abi, Obubra, Ogoja, Yala and Obudu LGAs, have benefited.
Do you intend to build cottage industries that are agro-based to add value to agriculture in the state?
Certainly! Don’t forget that our governor has said it on many occasions that we must emphasise forward integration to add value to our agricultural produce as a way of ensuring that our farmers gain maximum benefits from their toil. It may interest you to know that Cross-River state is partnering with the federal government and the Israeli LR group to establish an agro-industrial town at Ojor, Akamkpa. We received a team of officials from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the LR group in early December last year for a follow-up planning. A special crop processing zone is also planned at Uyanga to add value to our agricultural outputs. Government is also into an agreement with a Thai group to site a rice city at Bansarain Ogoja local government Area, to be involved in rice production and processing for export. All told, we are on course to revolutionize agriculture completely.
What are your plans for Cross River Agricultural and Rural Empowerment Scheme (CARES)?
We are now reviewing the activities of CARES to see how it can be repositioned to serve the state better. We will also looking out for areas of duplication of functions with other programmes to cut waste and achieve a better outcome.
Do you intend to maintain the smallholder scheme and big commercial farms in the state?
Our emphasis will be on the smallholder scheme but in partnership with credible investors, we will also not neglect big commercial farmers. We aim to build a win-win synergy among all shades of farmers in the state to allow government focus on creating the enabling environment through appropriate policies and regulations.
What are your plans for community-based forest protection and conservation?
We now have a full Ministry of Forestry and Climate Change. The ministry of agriculture in the state is also in charge of the ministry and we will be collaborating closely with that of forestry and climate change as regards protection and conservation. To that extent, all our commercial agriculture projects will be required to conduct a thorough environmental impact assessment and satisfy all our requirements in this regard.
MIKE ABANG