The programme was aimed at moving farmers beyond subsistence agriculture by creating reliable market opportunities and attracting agro-processing industries
By Frank Ulom
·
Published on June 4, 2026
·
3 min read
The Cross River State Government has secured 13,000 hectares of land across 12 communities for large-scale agricultural production and is actively seeking investors to establish processing factories near farming clusters as part of efforts to boost local value addition and strengthen the agricultural value chain.
The Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Mr Johnson Ebokpo, disclosed this during a press conference in Calabar while unveiling Project Grow, a six-year agricultural development initiative designed to connect farmers directly to structured markets and stimulate agribusiness investment.
Ebokpo said the programme was aimed at moving farmers beyond subsistence agriculture by creating reliable market opportunities and attracting agro-processing industries capable of transforming agricultural produce within the state.
According to him, the government has legally acquired the land through agreements with host communities and approved the payment of rents for the 13,000 hectares earmarked for the cultivation of grains, cocoa, pineapples, bananas, plantains and other crops.
He explained that the state was intentionally encouraging investors to establish processing facilities close to production centres in order to reduce post-harvest losses, create employment opportunities and increase the value of agricultural products before they reach the market.
“We need these crops and grains to be processed locally. That is why we are intentionally attracting investors and processors to the state,” Ebokpo said.
The commissioner noted that the government was also strengthening Cross River’s Ease of Doing Business framework to make the state more attractive to agribusiness investors and industrial operators.
He further disclosed that the state had entered into partnerships with the Nigeria Export Promotion Council and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture to provide technical support, improved inputs and advisory services for farmers and agro-processors.
“We also want to increase the offtake capacity for our smallholder farmers and stimulate greater participation in both primary and secondary processing of agricultural produce,” he said.
Speaking on the initiative, the Director of Project Grow, Mr Denis Ikpali, described the programme as a market systems development intervention aimed at addressing longstanding structural challenges within the agricultural sector.
According to him, Project Grow forms part of the administration’s broader strategy to transform agriculture from a subsistence activity into a viable economic sector capable of generating employment, attracting investment, improving household incomes and enhancing food security.
Ikpali announced that one of the project’s major milestones was the signing of an offtake agreement with Flour Mills of Nigeria for the supply of 2,000 metric tonnes of soybeans and 20,000 metric tonnes of maize.
He said the agreement, valued at approximately N18 billion, would provide a guaranteed market for participating farmers while encouraging increased agricultural production across the state.
The state government believes the initiative will strengthen agricultural productivity, expand processing capacity and position Cross River as a major agribusiness destination by linking production directly with industrial demand and export opportunities.
