Cross River State plays an important role in the national economy, producing significant proportions of the country’s basic staples of cassava and yams. Plantation agriculture also contributes importantly through rubber, cocoa, and the indigenous oil palm. Cross River State
is the second largest timber producer in the country, and its coastal mangroves support an economically important national fishery. Cocoa is an important tree crop in Cross River State, and although cocoa can be incorporated within viable agro-forestry systems, its increased planting has put additional pressure on natural forests. Over 99% of Cross River indigenes living in fishing communities are engaged in artisan fishing, subsistence farming and local trading. The fishing activities are carried out in the mangrove creek, the estuary and nearby coastal zone (outer estuary). The economic well being of these communities are determined by the catch per unit effort during each outing.
Cross River State economy is predominantly agricultural which is sub-divided into two sectors – the public and the private sectors. The private sector is dominated by local subsistence farmers while the public sector is run by the Government and features large plantations and demonstration farms. The main crops are cassava, yams, rice, plantain, banana, cocoyam, maize, cocoa, rubber, groundnut and palm produce.
Support of this natural resource base is thus consistent with planned national priorities; the Federal Government dedicates about one-third of its primary and secondary sector expenditures to such activities. General developments over the past year have not to any large degree altered these circumstances. The following two additional factors relating to Federal macroeconomic initiatives are, however, of potential relevance to conservation efforts.
Food import bans are being effectively enforced for many basic foodstuffs and have indirectly placed upward pressure on farm prices. As there is general agreement that supplies from rural sectors respond to both higher prices and to substitution opportunities, Government is expected to maintain this strategy at least in the near-term. This, through the same price mechanisms discussed above, will increase use of extensive cultivation practices.
Farm price deregulation has increased output prices in rural areas, thus increasing incentives to augment production efforts at the rural level; at forest margins and other areas where ingress of populations cannot be controlled, this has contributed to increased pressures on environmentally fragile areas. Most augmentation in rural production has therefore not always resulted in intensification but, rather, has leaned towards using more extensive techniques of production. Again, at forest margins, this has increased the pressures towards clearing new land for agricultural purposes.
Cross River State is very rich in biodiversity. It harbours several species of primates, migratory and resident birds, and 950 species of butterflies -a quarter of the number to be found in tropical Africa – 100 of which are not found anywhere else and at least three are new to science. Many of Africa’s rarest trees, such as mahogany, ironwood, camwood and mimosup, grow in this forest connected to the larger tropical forest area in neighbouring Cameroon. The region also includes one-third of Africa’s primate species — the most endangered rare and unique gorillas, drill monkeys are found here, hippopotamuses, chimpanzees, elephants, grey parrots and an incredible diversity of migratory and resident birds as well as other endangered animals and plants.
Agriculture is considered the main stay of the State’s economy. It absorbs a large percentage of the labour force and contributes greatly to the gross domestic product of the State. A large portion of the mass of the State is arable with a significant portion under-utilized.
The major tree crops of the State include oil palm, cocoa, rubber, kola nut while staple foods include cassava, yam, cocoyam, plantain, banana, groundnut, maize, fruit and assorted vegetables. Other items come from livestock, fishery and forestry. A bulk of the food produced come from small scale farmers. Part of this is consumed locally while the remaining part is exported either to other states or outside the country.
Since most of these items are perishable crops, there is an urgent need for investors to utilize these opportunities and invest in areas like cold storage and preservation, processing into industrial intermediate or final products. Our raw material potentials are numerous and must not be left under-utilized.
