By Blessing Enagu.
CROSS RIVER GOVERNMENT RAMPS UP EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY AND EMPOWER GENUINE FARMERS.
In line with Governor Bassey Edet Otu’s People-First Agenda, the Cross River State Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Development has embarked on a targeted sensitisation campaign across the state to ensure a more coordinated and transparent system for farmer registration and agricultural interventions.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnson Ebokpo, flagged off the sensitisation meetings held across the three senatorial districts: Calabar Municipal for the South, Ikom for the Central, and Ogoja for the North.
The initiative, according to the Commissioner, was necessitated by the pressing need to establish well-organized and registered farmer groups, recognized by both state and local government authorities. This approach aims to eliminate the diversion of agricultural inputs by so-called portfolio farmers and to ensure that real farmers benefit directly from government interventions.
The initiative is designed to foster collaboration with agricultural directors, supervisors, and extension officers at the local level, and to facilitate the proper registration of various farmers’ groups and their members.
Addressing concerns raised by participants about political interference and previous diversions of inputs, Ebokpo reassured stakeholders that the government is fully aware of the field challenges and has adopted a more localized and direct approach through the local government councils to ensure transparency and accountability.
The Commissioner who was ably represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Ntufam Ekpe Bassey,further noted that the initiative will, in the long run, help strengthen the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), which is the apex body for all farmers in the country.
Adding to this, the Deputy Director of Public-Private and Development Partnerships in the Ministry, Mary Ann Ogar, emphasized that achieving the desired impact would require collaboration. She urged stakeholders to change their mindset and to actively encourage farmers in all value chains to get registered and formally identified.
The sensitisation exercise received overwhelming support from the host councils. The Chairman of Calabar Municipal Council, Apostle James Anam, spoke through the Supervisor for Agriculture, Mr. Etim Effiong pledged full support for the initiative. Similarly, in Ogoja, the Council Chairman, Hon. Chris Agbeh through the Council Secretary, Chief Alex Atem, assured the government of their commitment to the success of the programme.
In Ikom Local Government Area, the Chairman, Pastor Mercy Nsor, warmly welcomed the state government team and expressed her administration’s passion for agriculture. She pledged full support for the Director of Agriculture and extension officers in stepping down the sensitisation to the grassroots.
Resource persons from the Ministry conducted sessions highlighting the importance of proper farmer identification, the benefits of aligning with recognized farmer groups, and the critical role of accurate data and record-keeping in agricultural development.
With these sensitisation exercises, Cross River State is poised to build a more efficient, inclusive, and impactful agricultural system that will truly serve the farmers at the heart of the state’s food security and economic development goals.
