Ayade: Cross River cocoa processing plant ready soon

Cross River State Governor, Professor  Ben Ayade, has expressed
satisfaction with ongoing work at the 30000 tonnes per annum cocoa
processing plant in Ikom.
Ayade, who was visibly excited by the delivery of equipment for the plant,
said the factory will soon be ready for commissioning.
“I am really impressed. As you can see, intellectual money is on display
here. From what I have seen, the contractors deserve excellent pats on the
back. This is what we call commitment and consistency,” the governor
remarked.
He said the plant has the capacity to process cocoa beans to chocolate bars.
“Again, we are going to be the first in Africa as this is the first cocoa
processing plant that will process cocoa beans to chocolate,” he stated.
He said with the delivery of the equipment, his vision for cocoa revolution
in the state is crystalizing.
The governor, who said he knew from the first day he was sworn in, what he
needed to do to enhance the economic well-being of the people, said the
plant will bring about value-chain addition to cocoa, which will ultimately
enrich cocoa farmers in the state.
“This is the spirit of intellectual money and Cross River ultimately will
be proud that I knew where I was going from the beginning. I am following
an agenda that at the end of my eight years in office, when every single
citizen of the state remembers my days, he or she will say this young man
had a great vision.
“For all the years gone by Cross River has been producing cocoa for other
states to bear the name because we did not have an off-take mechanism, we
did not have a programme by government to buy off the cocoa at good rates.
So, outsiders used to come in and buy the cocoa from us and grade it as
cocoa from their own state.”
The plant, which will soon be operational, now offers cocoa farmers in the
state “the opportunity, platform and industry to process their own cocoa,
giving a premium value for money. A cocoa house is going to be built here.
Once you have a cocoa farm, you just come here, collect money during
harvest, we take your cocoa, so you have money for the product and you
don’t have to go to bank to get a loan.”
Ayade therefore, urged the people of the central senatorial district to see
the cocoa processing plant as their own baby by ensuring no harm comes to
it.”