C/River begins agro-industrial revolution through G-money policy — Commissioner

Thu, Jan 30, 2020
By publisher
2 MIN READ

Business

ASUQUO Ekpenyong, Cross River Commissioner for Finance says the state government has commenced agro-industrial revolution through its Green Money (G-Money) policy.

Ekpenyong, who led other commissioners from the state, said this at the ongoing Nigerian Export-Import (NEXIM) Bank, South-South Enlightenment and Engagement Forum in Asaba, Delta.

The forum has as its theme: “Maximizing Export Potential of the Region for Economic Growth”.

He said that the agro-industrial revolution had begun in the state with over 30 industries positioned to drive the process to a success.

Ekpenyong said that the G-Money policy was aimed at deemphasising dependency on crude oil by promoting export of non-oil commodities like cocoa, rice, maize, livestock and the garment industries and built industry around them.

“We are on ground, the agro-industrial revolution has begun in Cross River and in the state we have over 30 industries and over 80 per cent of them is agro-based.

“We implore NEXIM Bank to bring more of this engagement and forum and we hope we will be able to exchange ideas and come out with resolves that we will be able to accomplish.

“To sustain the employment policy of the state government, we develop the Green Money Policy, as money is one of the greatest challenges in the agricultural sector in land development.

“The state has gone ahead and acquired land sharing, land preparation and land development equipment to take-off the burden of preparing and sharing developing lands for small scale farmers in the state.

“We have acquired land across Cross River running to thousands of hectares and the intention is to develop the land, clear and dedicate the land to various interested farmers,” he said.

Ekpenyong said that the state had also floated microfinance bank to ensure adequate financing of the MSME’s in the state.

He said that the state government had built a rice mill at Ogoja with a capacity to produce 100 metric tonnes of rice annually and a cocoa mill with about 80 metric tonnes annually among others.

“Government will also provide inputs such as rice seedlings and multiplication centres and genetically modified cocoa seedlings and made them available to farmers in the state,” he said. (NAN)

– Jan. 30, 2020 @ 12:35 GMT |

Tags: