Alfred Lahiri, Abuja
The Cross River Government has launched initiatives to address food insecurity proactively in the state.
The Government was responding to the alarming data from the National Bureau of Statistics that more than 13 million individuals in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Rivers states are experiencing various forms of poverty
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Mr Johnson Ebokpo, said in a press conference on Thursday that significant impact has been made through agriculture on state’s economy which has enhanced the well-being of the people.
Ebokpo pointed out data from the Multidimensional Poverty Index report by StatiSense, citing the National Bureau of Statistics, which showed that 75.4% of the population in Cross River State is experiencing multidimensional poverty.
He emphasized the importance of implementing strong agricultural policies and programme to help uplift citizens out of poverty and into the economic forefront.
Unveiling the government’s ambitious plans for transition to Commercial Agricultural Development, he said government has procured 108 number of 30hp medium tractors to be distributed to the 18 LGA’s.
The tractors are to be distributed to beneficiary cooperatives of 10 youths in each LGA thereby creating 1080 direct jobs, 2,160 indirect jobs from roles like transportation and maintenance.
He said the government would establish N30 billion Naira Commercial Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme known as ‘PROJECT GROW’, meant to serve as collateral to unlock lending facilities from financial institutions.
Ebokpo explained that the N30 billion fund is aimed at helping farmers to access loans to improve agricultural activities and achieve food sufficiency in the state.
According to him, the fund will be managed by a group of banks and will be backed by the state government.
