Cross River State Governor, Sen.Bassey Otu, has announced a $70 billion public-private partnership investment package for the state, with $1.5 billion earmarked specifically for agriculture to drive food security, jobs and exports.

The governor disclosed this on Monday at the 21st Leboku International New Yam Festival in Ugep, describing agriculture as the anchor of his administration’s “green economic revolution.”

Otu said the investment was designed to move Cross River farmers from subsistence production to large-scale, mechanised farming with guaranteed market access.

“Through the mechanised system of agriculture enabled by my administration, through the provision of tractors, ploughing machines and other machinery, enterprises have been moved from subsistence to large-scale farming with attendant access to markets. This translates into increased farming income,” he said.

He noted that government had already begun distributing tractors, ploughing equipment and rolling out revolving loans to farmer cooperatives across the 18 LGAs.

According to the governor, the agriculture component of the package will focus on areas where Cross River has comparative advantage.

He said the priority value chains include rice – land preparation, milling, packaging and distribution, oil palm – to boost processing and export capacity,  fishery and trawler fishing – leveraging the state’s coastline and dairy production – to cut import dependence

Governor Otu said the goal is to create thousands of jobs, reduce post-harvest losses, and position Cross River as a net food exporter in the South-South.

Otu stressed that mechanisation must be matched with rural roads, storage facilities and agro-processing hubs.

“We are not just giving tractors. We are building the entire ecosystem that allows a farmer to plant, harvest, process and sell at a profit,” he said.

The Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Obi Ayuk Offor, said a stronger agriculture sector would also boost tourism. He disclosed plans to clean up the Yakurr waterfall and other heritage sites to attract visitors beyond the festival season.

“Agriculture feeds tourism, and tourism markets agriculture. That is the prosperity we are rooting in our culture,” Offor said.

Farmers and cooperative leaders at Leboku welcomed the announcement but urged government to ensure transparency in disbursement.

“We have heard promises before. What we need now is tractors in our farms, not just on paper, and buyers who will pay good prices,” said a yam farmers’ leader from Yakurr.

The governor assured that a monitoring framework would be put in place to track equipment and loan distribution.

With the $70bn package now unveiled, attention will shift to how quickly the $1.5bn agriculture fund reaches farms and translates to higher yields and income for Cross River farmers.