Calabar – Mr Hillard Etta, the National Vice Chairman (South-South), All Progressives Congress (APC), has advised the Cross River Government to prioritise agriculture.
Etta, who gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Sunday, said that prioritisng agriculture would lead to increased government revenue and job availability for the youth.
According to him, Cross River can produce the food the country needs if the available agricultural resources in the state can be harnessed.
“Rice, oil palm, and cocoa grow well in this state. If government focuses on the production and processing of these crops, it can change the fortunes of the state.’
“Cross River is the second largest producer of cocoa in the country and can produce all the rice and cocoa needed in this country, if the right thing is done.”
He stressed the need for Gov. Ben Ayade’s administration to establish the agriculture value chain in the state.
NAN reports that the agriculture value chain approach to developing the sector focuses on four major issues, namely: production, processing, storage, and marketing.
“We need to do better than what we are doing now. We have enough arable land in Cross River capable of producing enough rice for the whole country, ‘’ he stated.
Etta lauded the plan by the government to set up a rice city in the stat, but warned that the people should be fully involved in the proposed project.
He urged the government to articulate the priority needs of the people of the state before embarking on projects in order to ensure acceptability.
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