The Cross River State Government has pledged to create more than 20,000 jobs through agriculture this year. The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Prof. Anthony Eneji revealed.


He said the jobs would be created through the production of cocoa, rice, rubber and palm oil, adding that the state has begun the process of regenerating the oil palm and cocoa estates, while also procuring 10,000 hectares of land for rice production.

Prof. Eneji added that the improved cocoa hybrid, which matures between 18 months and two years, will be procured and distributed to the farmers in the state, while also equipping them with the necessary technical knowhow to raise them.

The commissioner said the state authorities are already raising oil palm seedlings in large quantity to support the ageing palm plantations in the various palm estates across the state. He also said that the state is into rice production already, with a juicy partnership coming from China, coupled with equipment and finance.

He emphasized that the state government plans to allow the people of the state drive its economy, adding that such will provide an alternative source of revenue for the state.

The state government is already reviewing its rubber plantation with a view to making it more productive, according to the commissioner, adding that the state also has plans to produce no less than 500,000 metric tons of cocoa yearly, and be the Number 1 cocoa producing state in Nigeria.