Sen. Bassey Otu, Governor of Cross River State, has granted 100,000 hectares of land for cassava production and other agricultural programs in the state.
The governor made the announcement at a Cassava Value Chain stakeholder Workshop in Calabar, the state capital, hosted by the National Agriculture Growth Scheme and Agropocket (NAGS-AP).
Otu, who was represented by the Commissioner for Crops and Irrigation Development, Johnson Ebokpo, encouraged cassava growers to increase crop production, noting that the gains would enhance the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He stated that a digitized statewide soil and fertility map exercise for all crops has been commissioned and is now underway, adding that this will ensure food security and boost financial benefits.
According to Ebokpo, “statistics show that in 2019, China exported more than 4 million tonnes of cassava and its related products, the United States exported about 1.5 million tonnes, and Japan exported 1 million tonnes.” So, Nigeria, as Africa’s corporate nerve center with a plethora of ideas, cannot deny the enormous benefits accrued from vast Cassava production.”
The Commissioner further stated that it is critical to build an enabling agricultural environment for cassava growers to capitalize on untapped agro-opportunities in order to achieve desired results.
He stated that his ministry will exploit its comparative advantage and partner with stakeholders from all sectors who are ready and prepared to invest in agro-businesses to build a sustainable cassava production strategy for the state.
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Prof. Chiedozie Egesi, Chief Executive Officer of the National Root Crops Research Institute, stated in his keynote address that the workshop aimed at increasing cassava productivity among smallholder farmers and connecting them with industry for a sustainable value chain system.
He stated that the workshop proposals will assist the institute in developing an executable and practicable framework for the cassava component, which will be integrated into the broad-based national plan targeting five important crops: wheat, maize, rice, soybeans, and cassava.
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