Judex Okoro, Calabar

Cross River state governor, Sir Ben Ayade, has disclosed that the state may lose N8.5bn worh of rice seedlings ordered by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Central Bank of Nigeria CBN) had before the outbreak of Coronavirus ordered rice seedlings from the factory in Calabar and to be delivered to states across the country.

Ayade, who disclosed this to newsmen at the Rice Seeds and Seedlings Factory in Calabar on Friday, said the sudden outbreak of the global pandemic in Nigeria and the subsequent partial lockdown of the country has however, affected the evacuation of the seedlings which have since matured for transplanting, to farmers across the country.

According to him,the federal governemnt and the CBN shoukd step in and indemnify Cross River against any monetary loss arising from the situation.

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He said: “We have a massive order of over N8.5b from CBN through the rice program and through the anchor borrowers program and in partnership with Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, RIFAN .

“Having made that order and having secured an LPO to procure and deliver to the various States of Nigeria for this dry and wet seasons rice farming, Cross River state has massively invested in the seed multiplication and seed cultivation to seedlings. Now, we are prepared and fully ready for delivery.

“You can see the massive expanse of seedlings that are ready for delivery now but we have challenges of the off takers in line with the order that was made by CBN. This so because of lockdown of states, lockdown of the country,” the governor lamented.

Continuing, the governor pleaded with CBN and the federal government to ensure that the billions of Naira worth ofrice seedlings do not become waste.

“I call on the entire Nigeria to rise to this occasion. Coronavirus has caught up with the Cross River rice seed and seedlings business. We cant afford to lose N3 billion plus. As a state, we have put in over N3 billion to do this investment at this first phase,” he stated.