Cross River State Governor, Bassey Edet Otu, Wednesday flagged off the 2026 Wet Season Farming Programme with the distribution of improved seed yam inputs to farmers across the state, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to food security, rural prosperity and sustainable agricultural development.
The flag-off ceremony held in Calabar, amid renewed optimism for increased food production, featured the distribution of improved seed yams and other agricultural inputs to beneficiaries drawn from the 18 local government areas of the state, including farmers’ cooperatives, women groups, youths and agricultural extension workers.
Representing Governor Otu at the event, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation, Hon. Johnson Ebokpo Jr., said the early commencement of the 2026 wet season farming programme was a deliberate strategy by the administration to ensure farmers receive critical inputs in good time to maximize the planting season.
According to him, agriculture remains the backbone of Cross River’s economy and a major pillar of the administration’s ‘People First’ agenda.
“We are not just talking about food security; we are taking deliberate and practical steps to make it a reality. This distribution exercise is part of our broader vision to transform Cross River into the food basket of the South-south and Nigeria at large,” he stated.
