The Cross River State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to transforming agriculture into a commercially viable and investment-driven sector, highlighting major milestones recorded under its flagship Project Grow Initiative since its launch in November 2023. Speaking at a press conference held Monday at the Ernest Etim Bassey Press Centre in Calabar, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnson Andiambey Ebokpo, said the administration of Governor Bassey Edet Otu is deliberately repositioning agriculture from subsistence farming to a modern agribusiness economy capable of creating jobs, attracting investment, enhancing food security, stimulating rural economies, and improving livelihoods.
Ebokpo described agriculture as one of the most powerful tools for economic transformation, noting that despite Cross River’s favourable climate, abundant natural resources, and resilient farming population, the sector had long been constrained by weak market systems, limited access to finance, and poor value-chain linkages. He said Project Grow was established as a Special Purpose Vehicle to address these challenges and unlock the state’s agricultural potential. “Our mission is to build a modern, commercially viable, and investment-driven agricultural economy that creates value across the entire chain, from production and processing to marketing, distribution and export,” he stated.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment, Ebokpo stressed that agriculture remains central to Governor Otu’s development agenda and called on private sector investors, financial institutions, development partners, the media, and farmers to sustain support for the state’s agricultural transformation programme.
Providing an overview of the initiative, Project Director, Mr. Denis Ikpali, described Project Grow as a Market Systems Development programme designed not only to increase agricultural production but also to address structural gaps in market access, aggregation, financing, input supply, and demand creation. He explained that the project focuses on linking farmers directly to structured markets where quality standards, pricing mechanisms, and demand expectations are clearly established before production begins.
According to Ikpali, Project Grow forms a key component of Governor Otu’s strategy to reposition agriculture as a major driver of economic growth, employment generation, income improvement, investment attraction, and food security. Since its inception, the initiative has expanded across all 18 local government areas of the state, with active implementation in key farming clusters including Odukpani, Ogoja, Obubra, Yakurr, Yala, Ikom, Obudu, and Obanliku.
He disclosed that the project currently operates across several value chains, with rice, maize, cassava, animal fodder, and aquaculture serving as primary focus areas, while soybean, cowpea, wheat and sorghum, groundnut, and orange-fleshed sweet potato constitute the secondary value chains. These commodities, he said, were selected based on their economic potential, market demand, and capacity to drive inclusive agricultural growth across the state.
Ikpali revealed that more than 5,300 farmers have been trained through a partnership with AFOS, a German-funded non-governmental organisation, on Good Agricultural Practices, financial literacy, and modern farming techniques aimed at boosting productivity and reducing post-harvest losses. The project also supported the cultivation of approximately 450 hectares of maize and soybean farms during the 2025 farming season.
“In partnership with Flour Mills of Nigeria, the project successfully conducted Good Agricultural Practices Training-of-Trainers programmes for 110 soybean farmers and extension agents, strengthening farmer capacity and improving compliance with market requirements. Beyond production, Project Grow has facilitated the emergence of 28 agribusinesses, including aggregators and service providers, while restructuring and strengthening several farmer cooperatives, creating a total of 391 direct jobs across various value-chain activities,” he said.
Continuing, the Director stated that a major breakthrough recorded under the programme was the signing of an offtake agreement with Flour Mills of Nigeria for the supply of 2,000 metric tonnes of soybean and 20,000 metric tonnes of maize valued at an estimated N18 billion. Ikpali said the agreement guarantees a reliable market for agricultural enterprises operating within Cross River and demonstrates the success of the project’s market-led approach in strengthening enterprise sustainability and supply-chain resilience.
He further disclosed that the project recently delivered its first test consignment of 11.4 metric tonnes of soybean to Flour Mills in Ibadan, describing the development as a significant step that signals Cross River State’s entry into structured national agricultural supply chains.
On financing, Ikpali said Project Grow has adopted a Cash Back Guarantee Scheme designed to reduce lending risks for financial institutions and encourage greater investment in agriculture. He explained that the credit guarantee framework is expected to unlock about N150 billion in cumulative agricultural financing over the coming years.
“So far, the project has facilitated over N3 billion in agricultural financing, with approximately N1.5 billion expected to be accessed by participating farmers and agribusinesses ahead of the 2026 farming season. Through a partnership with the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), arrangements have also been made to support the cultivation of 2,000 hectares of rice during the 2026 farming season through input loans,” he added.
Ikpali further revealed that Project Grow is collaborating with ETG to promote improved input utilisation, enhance agricultural productivity, and attract long-term investments into the state’s agricultural ecosystem. With the approval of Governor Otu, plans are underway to establish a Centre of Excellence for Agricultural Training and Development as well as an Indigenous Community Seed Multiplication Centre to improve access to quality planting materials. Approval has also been granted for the establishment of a urea plant to enhance fertiliser availability, support local production, and increase agricultural productivity across the state.
Looking ahead, the Project Director said the initiative aims to cultivate about 1,000 hectares of soybean farms across participating communities during the 2026 farming season. While acknowledging challenges such as inflation, rising transportation costs, limited access to structured finance, and fluctuations in commodity prices, he said the project is addressing them through data-driven market analysis, stronger partnerships, and adaptive implementation strategies.
The Project Grow team expressed appreciation to all stakeholders for their continued collaboration in building a resilient agricultural economy for Cross River State.
By Blessing Enagu and Kingsley Agim
