Cross River State has strengthened its position as a hub for agricultural growth, with Governor Senator Bassey Edet Otu highlighting the state’s crop clusters, mechanisation programmes, and value chain initiatives as key drivers of economic transformation. 

In his 2026 New Year message, “Together, We Flourish,” Otu emphasised how tractors, fishing boats, and targeted agro-industrial policies are boosting productivity across rice, cassava, oil palm, cocoa, and coffee sectors. 

These initiatives will improve rural livelihoods, expand market access, and attract investment while reinforcing Cross River’s commitment to inclusive governance and participatory development.

Governor Otu has consistently promoted participatory governance, establishing advisory bodies such as the State Elders’ Forum, Economic Management Team, and Strategic Policy Advisory Committee to inform policy decisions. 

This approach has created a collaborative framework that ensures all ethnic groups, local governments, and communities have a stake in the state’s agricultural and economic initiatives.

Agriculture has been deliberately repositioned as the cornerstone of Cross River’s economic growth. 

The government has created crop-specific clusters: rice in Ndok Ogoja, cassava in Odukpani and Obubra, oil palm in Boki and Akamkpa, and cocoa in Etung and Ikom, alongside statewide coffee cultivation. 

Complementing these clusters, mechanisation support has included the distribution of 108 three-wheel tractors to farmers’ cooperatives and 100 fishing and commercial boats to riverine communities, improving both land and aquatic productivity.

The Value Chain Policy Strategy committee now oversees cocoa, oil palm, and coffee sectors to enhance processing, marketing, and investment. 

Public-private partnerships have revitalised oil palm estates, while digital soil mapping guides agro-investors, positioning Cross River as an attractive destination for sustainable agriculture.

Major infrastructure projects such as the Bakassi Deep Seaport and the revival of Tinapa Business Resort are expected to significantly enhance agribusiness opportunities. 

These developments will improve logistics, facilitate export markets, and create stronger linkages between production and processing industries.

Governor Otu urged Cross Riverians to sustain their collective purpose, emphasising that long-term economic growth and food security depend on shared effort. 

“To come together is the beginning, to stay together is progress, and to work together is success,” he said, reaffirming his commitment to an inclusive and agriculture-focused development agenda.

Source: Cross River Government