By Mark Eneng
Farmers in Cross River State are set to benefit from expanded access to grants, loans and agricultural guarantees as the Cross River State Agricultural and Loans Board holds a one-day stakeholders’ engagement in Calabar aimed at strengthening agricultural financing across the state.
Chairman of the Board, Mr. Toni Ikpeme, disclosed this in Calabar during a strategic meeting with Chairmen of various agricultural value chains and key stakeholders, assuring farmers of the state government’s commitment to making agricultural financing seamless, transparent and accessible.
Ikpeme commended the Governor, Apst. Prince Bassey Edet Otu, for what he described as improved access to business financing, particularly through the restructuring and “unbundling” of the Ministry of Agriculture and the creation of specialised agricultural value chains.
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He said that the administration had provided various funding opportunities for farmers as part of its broader efforts to promote food sufficiency, increase agricultural production and encourage the adoption of innovative and digital approaches in the sector.
“What we are doing today is a wider stakeholders’ engagement with Chairmen of all agricultural value chains.
“A couple of months ago, the Governor, Apst. Prince Bassey Edet Otu, began the process of restructuring the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure efficiency within the agricultural sector. So today, we brought in stakeholders to tell them what our template would be, whether we are disbursing grants, loans or providing agricultural guarantees for farmers,” Ikpeme said.
The Board Chairman also outlined the lending roadmap and financing opportunities available to farmers to enable them to grow and sustain their businesses.
The Coordinator of Cassava Value Chain, Venerable Austin Oqua, JP, said access to agricultural loans and grants would be useful in production, processing and marketing of agricultural products across all value chain. He also underscored the importance of clusters and group access to finance.
Another member of the Board, Hon. Emmanuel Akwagiobe, said that the establishment of the Board demonstrated government’s readiness to finance agribusinesses, noting that the scheme covers more than 20 agricultural value chains.
In a goodwill message, the Special Adviser on Agriculture, Prof. John Shiyam, commended the initiative and pledged his office’s support and collaboration to ensure its success.
Earlier, the Director-General of the Cross River State Debt Management Department, Mr. Ekpe Ekpe, FCIB, presented a paper titled “Unlocking Cross River State Potentials through Structured Grants, Guarantees and Targeted Loans Disbursement.”
Ekpe explained the procedures for agricultural financing and loan acquisition, while urging beneficiaries to regard agricultural finance as “repayable capital” to guarantee the sustainability of the scheme.
Also presenting the thematic mandate of the Loans Board, the Director of Agricultural Finance and Credit Scheme in the Ministry of Agriculture, Ukakina Moses, highlighted the importance of the Board to the state’s agricultural development.
The engagement featured paper presentations and discussions on key challenges in agricultural financing, including loan recovery, debt defaults and their implications for effective loan management.
The stakeholders’ meeting climaxed with an interactive session and the unveiling of the Farmers Portal, through which active farmers can register and be listed for access to available funding opportunities.
One of the high points of the Stakeholders Engagement organized by the Cross River State Agricultural & Loan Board, was the unveiling of Sponsored Road and Television Programme,
Christened Governor OTU’s Agricultural Transformation Strides, an initiative of the Board.
According to a joint statement issued by the Chairman of the Board, Sir Toni Ikpeme and the General Manager CRBC Mr Samuel Nsor, the programme which commences immediately, is a weekly television and Radio programme aimed at showcasing the agricultural transformation of Governor Bassey Otu across the agricultural value chains.
The programme will feature stakeholders across the agricultural value taking rounds to sensitize the citizenry on strides made by their respective ministries, departments, agencies and related value chains with a view to ensuring interest in farming, livestock, aquaculture and fisheries enterprises that will ensure food security and price stabilization in the State.
In attendance were;
Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture Hon. Bette Obi, who declared the event open; government officials; HOLGAS/DGSAs of Councils; heads of value chains and representatives of clusters and value chains.
