Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade has come out to say that 21st-century agricultural activities are a lucrative venture that the youths must embrace.

The governor recently revealed this during a one-day agro industrialisation summit held in Ikom, and Nigerians have been reacting.

According to him, Akwa Ibom youths should change their mindset about farming as a primitive venture meant only for illiterates because there is big money to earn in the business.

He added that the way farming has been given a digital look has definitely positioned it to be the next best thing in the business world.

His words, “Our forefathers engaged in farming with primitive tools to feed themselves with their families but over time, farming has become a money-spinning venture carried out by sophisticated equipment to earn big money so you should give it a digital look because it is the next big thing.”

“In Nigeria, there is a shortfall in the production and supply of over 1.8 billion metric tons of tomatoes annually and over 8 billion naira worth of tomatoes come in from Cameroon into Nigeria through Ikom all you need to do is to get just one percent of that market and you are on your way to wealth.”

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Benedict Bengioushuye Ayade (born 2 March 1968) is a Nigerian politician and the current governor of Cross River State since 29 May 2015. He ran successfully for the office of governor in April 2015 on the platform of People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Before that, he was a member of the 7th Senate of Nigeria. He was re-elected as the governor of Cross River State in the 2019 gubernatorial elections. Ayade, on Thursday, May 20, 2021, announced his defection to All Progressives Congress (APC) in Calabar, capital of the State, and was received by Yobe Governor and APC caretaker Committee Chair, Mai Mala Buni.

Benedict Bengioushuye Ayade was born on 2 March 1968 to the family of Mr. & Mrs. Peter Akinsheye Ayade, natives of Kakum village in Obudu, Nigeria. His parents were both devout Catholics. His father worked as a public servant with the water board.

From his work in groundwater remediation in Nigeria, Ayade invented a sewage treatment plant powered by solar energy.