In line with his vision of leading his state through major economic strides, Prof. Ben Ayade, Governor of Cross River State, in the South-Southern part of Nigeria, is set to welcome President Muhammadu Buhari commission a multi-billion naira automated rice seed and seedlings factory in Calabar, the state capital.
According to Mr. Christian Ita, the chief press secretary to the governor, the construction of this Factory in Calabar will be the first of its kind in Africa.
Mr. Ita stated that “Cross River State Government is happy to announce that President Buhari will on June 26, commission our ultra-modern, fully automated rice seeds and seedlings factory in Calabar. “This development which is reputed to be the first in Africa is also a seed multiplication centre that produces high-yielding, disease resistance and vitaminized rice seedlings.
The construction of this factory is one of many investments made in agriculture by the Ayade-led administration in keeping with his commitment to decouple the state from federal allocation through non-oil sources.”
Governor Ayade before the announcement of the commissioning by the president said the state was capable of generating at least N50 billion from the factory every year if given support by the Federal Government. “When I conveyed to the people of cross river that my aim is to restructure the state and make it less dependent on federal government allocation, I sincerely meant it because owing to projects like this, we are going to amass more revenue for the state”.
He reiterated that when it goes into commercial use, the factory would produce seedlings that will be natural with no chemical added. The governor showed delight “that the state is on the road to independence even after we lost our oil wells unjustifiably. Owing to this world class construction, we hope the Federal Government can support this non-oil effort”.
