The Stakeholders.
By Anietie Akpan
The Executive Chairman of Yala Local Government Area (LGA), Dr Fred Okem, has lauded the Federal Government and the Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Edet Otu for siting the Special Agricultural Development Zone (SADZ) in Okuku, Yala LGA..
Speaking at the one-day sensitivzation seminar for stakeholders in the Northern part of the state on the benefits and importance of the project, Dr Okem said the governor out of goodwill took the project to Yala which he said is his second home having grown up in Okuku..
He said right from the gestation of the project when he and other stakeholders attended the first workshop and Environmental Impact Assessment scoping in Calabar , he saw the commitment of both the federal government and the state governor towards the successful completion of the project and he ha as no doubt that soon the project will become operational.
“When we were invited to Calabar for the first seminar on this project we saw the commitment of the Federal Government and the Cross River State Governor, our Sweet Prince in working towards the success of this laudable programme and with partners like African Development Bank, we are sure this project will soon become operational”
He said, the land in northern Cross River is fertile and can sustain the quantity of production which will meet the SADZ demand and assured that his administration will do its best towards actualising the mandate expected of the council in terms of support and resources provision”
He said the EIA is ready and called on all the people northern Cross River to support the project fully
Speaking also, Dr Felix Eke, the representative of the head of the Special Project Unit in the Governor’s Office, Calabar told the participants that the SADZ would boost job creation, make agriculture a sustainable income source for the people, improve on the health facilities in the zone and make them accessible to the people and make strong domestic agricultural processing facilities available to the people.
“On the average, the target is for the cultivation of 2000 hectres of rice, same for cocoa and cassava. All the necessary infrastructure and support needed to achieve this are already available. All that is needed is for the people to take ownership of the project by participating fully, protecting facilities and playing expected roles to ensure the success of the project . The mission of the governor, His Excellency Senator, Prince Bassey Edet Otu on this project is to boost the economy of the people and improve their welfare”.
He added that the SADZ initiative is taking place in six states in the country: Cross River, Kwara, Imo, Kaduna, Akwa Ibom and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, has taken off in earnest in the state in two strategic locations, Yala in the northern part of the state and Adiabo in Odukpani Local Government Area in the south.
“The target of the project is to assist farmers with prerequisite knowledge in the growing crops, primary and secondary production, marketing and storage of agricultural products to reduce post harvest loses and in essence create jobs and improve household income . The targeted crops for the state’s SADZ are cocoa, rice and cassava”.
