Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River, has commissioned an ultra-modern toothpick factory in at Ekori, Yarkurr local government area of the state
The ultra-modern toothpick factory is capable of producing 31 million toothpicks in a day.
The governor urged indigenes of the state to go into massive commercial cultivation of bamboo, which is the raw material for toothpick.
According to the governor, only Cross River has such a factory as a state-owned project, which is 100% managed by indigenes.
The factory would create jobs for the people.
The Ministry of Agriculture in 2016 decried that an average of 18 million dollars was spent annually importing toothpicks into Nigeria.
The huge foreign exchange on toothpick import had compelled the federal government to put toothpicks importation under the dollar access prohibition list.
The policy meant that government could no longer give dollars to import toothpick.
The government, Ayade said decided to take advantage of the policy to set up this factory.
He said: “Cultivate enough bamboo trees; we can produce 31 million toothpicks in a day which is lots of business and money with massive turnover.”
The General Manager of the company, Dr Ignatius Atsu, earlier said: “The factory, one of the many factories conceived by the Ayade’s administration produces the finest, strongest, organic and beautiful toothpicks which have brought significant economic value, creating wealth and introducing socioeconomic development in the area.’’
