by By Elijah Ugani
The Cross River State Commissioner for Finance, Mr Mike Odere, has provided soft grant for 100 beneseed (sesame) farmers in Bekwarra Local Government Area.
Speaking during the presentation of the soft grant on Saturday 7th September 2024 at the ground reception of the 2024 Bekwarra New Yam festival, (Ipem Ihihe), Mr Odere, noted that “I have done this for the past eight years. Beneseed is very expensive outside of the country. Today, we support you with soft grant, fertilizer to enable you cultivate beneseed, when you harvest it, we will buy it off from you. And when you do well, we will add you more grant to enable you expand the farm.
“We are supporting 100 beneseed farmers drawn from the 10 wards of Bekwarra Local Government Area. In few years from now, I want you to export beneseed. Please I encourage you to make good use of this little resources that we are supporting you with”.
According to the Coordinator of the initiative, Mr Tom Alims, the 100 beneseed (sesame) farmers got a Two Million Naira only (2M) and 20 bags of fertilizer to assist them in land preparation and cultivation.
Alims noted “We were very particular about the selection process, as only those interested in beneseed farming were identified and captured. This is so because we don’t want to write names of people that will collect the money and put into other businesses”.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs Odey Veronica Akpana, who hail from Ukpah ward commended Mr Mike Odere for the initiative and for thinking about them. She pledged that the beneficiaries will do everything humanly possible to sustain the gains of the beneseed farming to ensure that his dreams of exporting beneseed from Bekwarra comes true.
Similarly, Sir Augustine Agbor Odere’s Foundation distributed 10 sewing machines and 20 grinding engines to beneficiaries drawn from the Ten wards of Bekwarra.
Sir Augustine Agbor Odere Foundation, is an initiative of Mr Mike Odere and his siblings to honor their late father.
