Organised Agro Value Chain Stakeholders Meet C'River Crop And Irrigation Development Commissioner, Seek Partnership To Ensure Food Security

Organised Agro Value Chain Stakeholders Meet C'River Crop And Irrigation Development Commissioner, Seek Partnership To Ensure Food Security

By JAE Media.

It was a brainstorming day as a cross-section of heads of the organized Agro value chain paid a courtesy visit to the Commissioner of Crops and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnson A. Ebokpo.

The group, led by Chief Edem as Chairman, brought together a cross-section of heads of the organized Agro value chain across the state to pay a courtesy visit to the commissioner.

The group congratulated the commissioner and pledged to synergize with the ministry in different Agro value chain practices to ensure food security, providing their cooperation and support to Governor Otu's administration. They reiterated their commitment to partnering with the Ministry of Crops and Irrigation Development to ensure food security in the state.

Reacting to this patriotic gesture, Hon. Ebokpo, assured the group heads of organized value chain that the administration of Governor Otu is committed to giving Agriculture top priority. He added that agriculture must be built from the fundamentals, especially the ministry under his watch (Crops and Irrigation Development).

Commissioner Ebokpo thanked God for granting Cross Riverians, for the first time, a Pragmatic Governor whose spoken words are matched with actions. He maintained that things will be done differently and systematically this time, as the government will partner with the various value-chain actors to bring the desired results in that regard.

He also revealed that the world is swiftly transitioning into a public-private sector ideology. The government can't do everything on its own; therefore, the government is fully ready to align with private sector players to create new business hubs and also collaborate with the organized private sectors to bring this fresh air. He further stressed that the above strategies are achievable by first reorganizing the ministry and setting up an agenda or blueprint that the agenda shall be followed systematically, meticulously, and methodically in collaboration with organized private sector stakeholders who are engaged in real farming businesses and not with pseudo farmers. He assured that the sweetness of Prince Otu's conscientious agricultural revolution in the state is very pragmatic, geared towards setting the records straight by following due processes during implementation.

Furthermore, the Commissioner admonished that the state will invest only in Agribusinesses in which it has a good comparative advantage, as it is not going to be business as usual, the Commissioner stated.

In a related development, the Soladaridad group, who also came on a courtesy visit with a similar value chain proposal, expressed confidence in the mastery and vast experience possessed by the commissioner in the field of agribusiness. They promised to partner with the Ministry of Crops and Irrigation Development for more fruitful businesses, after providing a brief overview of their content and what their company can offer to this administration if allowed to do so.

The meeting, which had the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Bassey Ekpe, Director of Agric Services, and other top directors of the ministry in attendance, was successful.