Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade
By Akpan David, Calabar
Five agricultural groups, including one foreign Non-Governmental Organization, Solidaridad West Africa and four others have visited, assessed and extended technical aids, farm implements and funds to 36 communities in five local government areas of Cross River State.
Food and Health Initiative, Green Aid Africa, Youth Training Hub Africa and the Centre for Community Empowerment and peace initiative are the other NGOs that have partnered in this direction.
Spokeswoman, Vicky O’Neill from the Food and Health Initiative said the aim of the partnership is to entrench Best Management Practices in oil palm cultivation in the state.
“We work in communities to improve oil palm production and ensure that their yield is better than what they had before.
“We have been to Ikom, Biase, Obubra Bekwarra, Ugep and have thus far covered 36 communities across the state.
“We have gone there to know their needs and the intervention is not to give them money but better seedlings and inputs that will ensure better yields.
“We also hope to assist them with farm tools that will enable them farm. Some of them lack these inputs as well as access to farms and markets so this is where Solidaridad and it’s partners can intervene”, she said.
Another speaker from Green Aid Africa, Okokon Bassey said bush burning triggers climate change and oil palm farmers have been educated to desist from this.
He said there is a better way Solidaridad has shown oil palm farmers because burning the bush is on the risk side and bush burning hampers the yield of the palm.
