Lagos, Nigeria – The President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Festus Osifo, has disclosed that Nigeria’s untapped agricultural potential deprives the nation of an annual revenue of $100 billion. Osifo attributed the shortfall to the country’s over-reliance on food imports, which he described as a significant factor hindering the growth and development of…
Bekwarra, Cross River – As part of efforts to bolster agricultural productivity and food security, Cross River State Governor, Apostle Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu, on Friday, flagged off the harvest of the Outgrowers Rice Farm in Ugboro, Bekwarra Local Government Area. The 5,000-hectare initiative forms the initial phase of a larger 50,000-hectare project aimed…
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso – Transition President, Captain Ibrahim Traore, has launched the country’s first tomato processing plant in Bobo-Dioulasso, a landmark step aimed at tackling post-harvest losses and improving agricultural productivity. The $12 million (7.5 billion CFA francs) facility will transform surplus tomatoes into processed goods, supporting local farmers and creating economic opportunities. The plant,…
Calabar, Cross River State – Mr Dennis Ikpali, Project Director of Cross River’s Project Grow initiative on Tuesday asserted that if they politicise food production as a state, they would not be able to politicise hunger when it comes with all its attendant problems. Ikpali disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of…
Calabar, Cross River State – Sen. Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security on Thursday inaugurated an ultra-modern Fish Hatchery facility in Calabar, Cross River. The hatchery which has the capacity of producing more than 20 million juveniles annually with five million every quarter, also has a fully functional laboratory, classrooms for lectures and…
Abuja, Nigeria – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has expressed alarm over the emergence of new livestock diseases within the region. This concern was voiced during the 10th annual meeting of the ECOWAS Regional Animal Health Network, currently taking place in Abuja. The meeting is expected to address the implications of these…
Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River has reiterated his administration’s desire to transition the state from subsistence agriculture to agricultural mechanisation. Otu made the call at the 2024 annual Leboku New Yam festival of Yakurr people on Thursday in Ugep, with the theme: “Community mobilisation for sustainable growth.” Represented by his Deputy, Rt. Hon. Peter…
Cross River State Government has successfully procured 3.5 million improved Oil Palm sprouted nuts from the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) and concluded plans for distribution to interested Oil Palm farmers across the State at the cost of 100 naira per nut. This is in fulfilment of Governor Bassey Otu’s vision of boosting…
Officials of the Federal Government, in collaboration with the World Bank, have visited Cross River to verify the state’s readiness to be part of the Sustainable Power and Irrigation Project for Nigeria (SPIN). The fact-finding mission led the team to the 12,000 hectares of land being prepared for farming and irrigation activities in Odukpani Local…
The Governor of Cross River State, Senator Bassey Otu, has suspended the verification or re-verification exercise of government-owned cocoa estates in Etung Local Government Area. Governor Otu also directed the Department of Asset Management and Recovery to further extend the period for payment of the Government lease fee to 30th September 2024. Otu who gave…
