C-River Moves To Engage 100,000 Youths In Farming, Other Schemes
BY UBON EKANEM, CALABAR – In a bold move to reduce the unemployment rate among its teeming youth populace, the Cross River State government has initiated schemes meant to engage about 100,000 youths in farming and other agricultural ventures.
Importantly too, the State government has already flagged off the process of equipping young people with skills to assist them break even, especially in the value chain of agricultural and related productive enterprises.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation, Mr. Johnson Ebokpo Jr said with their huge skill sets and potential, Cross River youths should easily become self-reliant rather than roam the streets in search of white-collar jobs that hardly exist.
Ebokpo, who spoke while unveiling the Scheme in Calabar, the State capital on Friday, said it would navigate the Cross River out of what he considered multi-dimensional and biting poverty.
Describing it as ‘Project Grow’, the Commissioner told extension officers and other stakeholders at the agriculture value chain workshop that the Scheme had been in the pipeline long before the present administration came into office.
Ebokpo said the Scheme focuses on boosting food production and raising the income of farmers, adding; “Through synergy with multilateral agencies, the Project Grow would leapfrog the state into the next level and establish and agro-econiny which thousands of people would be lifted out of multidimensional poverty”.
He said in the past 30 years, Cross River has regrettably been unable to have even 10 percent raise to the total output of its food production despite its vast arable land, several agricultural schemes and the huge sums of money invested in such programmes
According to him; “We are adopting the Michael Okpara model in our agricultural projects to maximise food production, eliminate wastes and put the state on the map of prosperity and Project Grow will achieve that purpose.”
The Commissioner, while maintaining that the project would position Cross River as one of the largest producers of sorghum, maize, cattle fodder, and rice, said; “With the target of 20,000 hectres of land prepared for small holder farmers and 2,000 already started and the right ecology in place for the production of five value chain which include rice, cassava, aquatic culture, cattle fodder and maize, our governor, Senator Bassey Otu, is creating an economy that would produce billionaires and millionaire.”
Speaking on the Scheme, the Project Grow Director, Mr. Denis Ikpali, said it will address existing challenges in the agriculture sector that include farmers’ inability to access loan facilities from financial institutions, get right inputs, and acquire adequate knowledge on chemical application on farms.
Further highlighting the challenging issues within the agric sector, Ebokpo said; “The risks involved in agricultural sector make banks unwilling to extend credit facility to farmers without collaterals.
“Project Grow is to close that gap because our state government has a credit scheme to the tone of 30 billion naira to guarantee genuine farmers to get loans. The credit is not a grant.”
