Cross River Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Mr Johnson Ebokpo, has tasked agriculture experts to explore new technologies, share data, co-design interventions to transform agriculture in the South-South region.
He made the remark at the 14th Steering Committee meeting of the South-South Agro-Ecological Zone of the Research Extension, Farmer Input Linkage System (REFILS) in Calabar on Friday.
The summit, themed: “Strengthening stakeholder linkages for improved food security,” brought together researchers, extension officers, farmer organisations, input suppliers, development partners, and government officials across the zone.
The agriculture experts converged to brainstorm on ways to address Nigeria’s growing food insecurity.
Declaring the meeting open, Ebokpo underscored the importance of the REFILS platform in bridging the gap between innovation and implementation in the agricultural sector.
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According to Ebokpo, it was the first time in over a decade that Cross River was hosting the all important agricultural meeting.
While stressing the need for a coordinated approach, he noted that even the best interventions would fail if stakeholder linkages were weak or fragmented.
“I urge all participants to explore new technologies, share data, co-design interventions, and forge partnerships that will drive agricultural transformation across the zone,” he said.
The commissioner, however, enumerated some of the agricultural interventions in Cross River which included the distribution of 77 motorbikes to strengthen extension services across the state.
Others were the procurement and distribution of 3.5 million sprouted oil palm nuts from Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), cocoa rehabilitation efforts, Project Grow among other initiatives.
Similarly, Mr Bassey Emogor, Programme Manager, Cross River Agricultural Development Programme (CRADP), commended stakeholders for their dedication to agricultural progress in the South-South and Nigeria at large.
He added that the forum served as a platform for them to deliberate on critical issues facing Nigeria’s agricultural landscape and to collectively explore innovative solutions for sustainable development.
On his part, Dr Olusegun Solomon, Zonal Coordinator for the South-South Zone of NIFOR, decried the poor participation of states in the zone due to lack of funding.
“For this very important meeting, only three of six South-South states are represented, Akwa Ibom and Delta are conspicuously absent. There is no way you can have food security without bringing together research institutions, farmers, and input agencies; the linkage we are talking about is critical,” he said.
He called on South-South governors to prioritise funding for agricultural development programmes, especially the ADPs which, he described, as vital vehicles for delivering innovations to farmers.