Firm Partners Cross River To Improve Agriculture

The Cross River State government has partnered with Dubai-based Export Trading Group (ETG) to establish an agricultural Centre in the state.

Sequel to this, the state government has allocated 10 hectares of land for the project, which will include a urea and fertiliser blending plant.

The state commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Mr Johnson Ebokpo, disclosed this during a visit by a high-powered delegation from ETG to his office.

He stated that the project aims to address the declining labour force and talent pool in the agricultural sector.

“You cannot talk about agriculture without sustainability,” Ebokpo emphasised.

He highlighted the state’s struggle with talent retention, citing the low number of students interested in agriculture, with less than 100 admissions in the Faculty of Agriculture, recently.

Ebokpo stressed the need to change the narrative and make agriculture more appealing to young people.

“There is a need for us to change this narrative and begin to do the things that will excite young people to get into agriculture,” he said.

He said that the 10-hectare site will be located in Adiabo, Calabar, near the Tinapa business and leisure resort, providing easy access to the seaport and airport.

He stressed that the Centre of Excellence will train extension agents, policy actors, and students from local universities.

The ETG delegation, led by Mr Ogu Goodluck, stated that they have been operating in Nigeria for 15 years stressing that they are not just investors, but partners in the state’s development.

“We are not coming here to take. We are coming here to work together to ensure that collectively we create a sustainable system.

“ETG has operations in over 40 countries and plans to bring modern innovations and manufacturing standards to Cross River State,” Goodluck maintained.

The director of Project Growth, Cross River State, Mr Dennis Ikpali, pledged cooperation, saying, “We are committed to building a progressive partnership with ETG that will benefit all parties and ensure our farmers have the necessary tools they need to succeed.”