Cross River Governor, Ben Ayade, said on Sunday the state was preparing for life after COVID-19 pandemic with its agricultural drive.

He said the project would enable the state to weather the attendant food shortage expected during the post- coronavirus pandemic.

Ayade gave the assurance in Calabar while deploying the newly acquired tractors and other farming equipment to the field.

The governor said: “In the face of the lockdown, we are aware that we have properly secured our external borders while allowing the economy to continue to run.”

He stressed that his administration was determined to make the state self-sufficient in food production.

Ayade added: “We are not resting on our oars in our agro-industrialisation drive because of the likelihood of a global food crisis after COVID-19.

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“It is against that background that I have come here to mobilise all our equipment to move to the field.

“The idea is that Cross River is already looking at the post-COVID-19 era because we don’t want to be caught up in the line of hunger and food scarcity.

“Now that oil price has come to zero and even below the cost price, it is obvious Nigeria will have to move to agro-dollar.

“Nigeria should be migrating from petrol dollar to agro- dollar and Cross River will be leading that process.”

He urged African leaders to brace up for the worst and look inwards to resolve the conflicting challenges coming after the pandemic. (NAN)

Vanguard