The Cross River State House of Assembly has passed a bill seeking to establish a Tree Crops Development Agency to coordinate the development, production and marketing of tree crops. The bill followed committee consideration and a public hearing, but its passage by the House does not by itself establish that the proposed agency is already operational.
The Cross River State House of Assembly has passed a bill seeking to establish the Cross River State Tree Crops Development Agency, a proposed institution intended to coordinate and promote the growth, production and marketing of tree crops across the state. The bill was sponsored by the Leader of the House and Member representing Odukpani State Constituency, Rt. Hon. Francis Bassey Asuquo. According to the legislative account, it received its first reading on April 28, 2026, and passed second reading on June 17, before being referred to the House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources for detailed consideration. Its passage after third reading represents a further step in the legislative process. The stated objective is to create a dedicated institutional framework for a sector that includes crops with agricultural and commercial potential. However, passage by the House should not be confused with enactment, commencement or the establishment of a functioning agency. The account does not confirm gubernatorial assent, publication in an official gazette, an operational date, or the appointment of the proposed agency’s leadership.
Presenting the committee’s report during plenary, the Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources and Member representing Boki 2 State Constituency, Hon. Bette Philip Obi, outlined the committee’s findings and recommendations. The committee had been tasked with examining the bill after its second reading and considering its provisions in greater detail. Its work included a public hearing held on July 10, 2026, which attracted representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Forestry Commission, the Cross River Geographic Information Agency, farmers’ associations, civil society organisations and other stakeholders. The hearing provided a forum for groups connected with agriculture, land information, forestry and community interests to express their views on the proposed institution. The account reports general stakeholder support for a more coordinated approach to the tree-crop sector. That support should be understood as the overall position described in the legislative report; the account does not list every submission, document all differences of opinion, or reproduce the full evidence received by the committee.
The committee identified cocoa, coffee, oil palm, cashew and rubber as major tree crops with economic potential for Cross River. Obi said the state possessed favourable soil and topographical conditions for agriculture but had lacked a dedicated institution to fully harness the potential of its tree-crop sector. The proposed agency is intended to provide a more coordinated structure for developing these crops and their associated value chains. In practical terms, coordination could involve aligning public-sector responsibilities and providing a clearer institutional focus for production and marketing initiatives, but the precise powers of the agency will depend on the enacted law and its eventual implementation. The account does not provide crop-by-crop production figures, current output estimates, export volumes, employment totals, acreage data or a quantified forecast of additional revenue. It would therefore be premature to assign a monetary value to the proposed agency or claim that its creation will automatically raise production. The committee’s stated rationale is that a dedicated institution could help organise development efforts across a range of crops that have agricultural and commercial significance.
The committee recommended amendments to strengthen the proposed Governing Board, including the addition of a representative of the Cross River Geographic Information Agency and an increase in board members’ tenure from three years to four years, with provision for renewal. The proposed inclusion of the geographic information agency would introduce a formal representation from an institution concerned with spatial and land-related information, although the account does not detail the exact duties that representative would perform. The recommended change to tenure would also affect the proposed governance arrangements by extending the period served by board members, subject to the bill’s final provisions. These recommendations form part of the committee’s review and should not be described as separate operational decisions by an already functioning agency. Members of the Assembly said the proposed institution could strengthen agricultural development, improve productivity and support more coordinated development of tree crops and their value chains. After the committee’s report was considered and adopted, the bill passed third reading and was passed by the House. The legislative account describes a bill comprising six parts and 28 sections covering the agency’s establishment and functions, Governing Board, management structure, funding and related matters.
Speaker of the House Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem commended Assembly members, the committee and participating stakeholders for their contributions to the legislative process. He described the bill as an important step towards creating an institutional framework for tree-crop development and expressed optimism that the proposed agency could provide greater support for farmers, encourage investment, improve productivity and strengthen the value chain for tree-crop products. He also reaffirmed the 10th Assembly’s commitment to legislation aimed at expanding economic opportunities, strengthening agriculture and promoting sustainable development in Cross River. These are the Speaker’s expectations for the proposed institution, not evidence that those outcomes have already been achieved. The next stage and eventual effect of the legislation depend on the applicable remaining legal steps, the final text and implementation decisions. No agency budget, staffing plan, commencement date or initial programme was specified in the account. The Cross River government publication reports that the House has passed the bill; the established outcome as of October 9, 2026, is legislative passage rather than confirmed operation of the Tree Crops Development Agency.