As part of efforts to boost food production and ensure long-term food security, the Cross River State Government has distributed tractors to farmers to encourage mechanized agriculture and improve productivity across the state.
The initiative, part of the state’s broader agricultural transformation agenda, aims to support mechanized farming and reduce the manual burden on local farmers.
Governor Bassey Otu, who performed the flag-off ceremony at the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Development headquarters in Calabar, said the initiative forms a major pillar of his administration’s People-First Agricultural Transformation Agenda.
Otu described the programme as a decisive step toward full agricultural mechanization, explaining that it would significantly reduce the high cost of land preparation, which accounts for more than 70 percent of cultivation expenses.
“When we assumed office, we made a firm commitment to make agriculture the backbone of our economic strategy,” the governor said.
“From engagements with farmers across the state, one recurring challenge was the burden of land preparation. This programme directly addresses that problem,” he added.
Otu disclosed that 108 mini tractors are being rolled out in the first phase, while a total of 324 would be distributed to cooperatives across the state before the end of the programme.
The tractors, he noted, are fuel-efficient, terrain-adaptable, and designed to enhance productivity while reducing manual labour.
The governor also announced that the equipment would be managed through a cooperative model that promotes shared ownership and accountability.
“By empowering cooperative societies to manage these tractors, we ensure community-based access to mechanization services and responsible utilization at the grassroots,” he said.
Otu listed other ongoing agricultural projects under his administration, including the Cassava Seed Multiplication Project, the Project Grow maize and soybean scheme in partnership with Flour Mills Plc, and a pilot sorghum production initiative with Champion Breweries.
He added that the state government is also supporting smallholder farmers with improved seeds, fertilizers, and farm implements, alongside plans to establish new cocoa and coffee estates through public-private partnerships.
“This tractor distribution is not just another intervention,” Otu emphasized. “It is a practical demonstration of our commitment to food security, job creation, and sustainable rural development.”
In his goodwill message, the Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, representing Boki I State Constituency, described the initiative as “unprecedented in the history of Cross River State,” commending Governor Otu for “giving new life to the state’s agricultural sector.”
The Chief Executive Officer of Bespoke Concepts Limited, Femi Odeleye, whose firm supplied the tractors, lauded the project as “the planting of seeds for a new agricultural revolution in Cross River State.”
He disclosed that plans were underway to establish a tractor assembly plant in Calabar, expected to create over 2,000 jobs.
Also speaking, Rev. Ojikpong Nyiam Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Cross River State, praised the governor’s vision, likening his leadership to that of Dr. Michael Okpara, the late Premier of Eastern Nigeria.
