Nigeria To Become Net Exporter Of Rice By Year 2020 – Goodluck Jonathan
Africa’s largest rice farm, Olam Integrated Farms, a USD90 million investment of a Singapore-based foreign investor, was on July 14, 2014, Monday, commissioned by President Goodluck Jonathan.
The farm, which is located in Nasarawa State, occupy a land mass of 10,000 hectares in Ondorie-Rukubi area of Doma.
According to Daily Trust, the farm has an airstrip that allows the takeoff and landing of small aircrafts used in the planting and spraying of chemicals on the well irrigated commercial farm.
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The president, who was accompanied by Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, the minister of Agriculture, Professor Akinwumi Adesina, and the management of the farm, led by Regi George, commissioned both the farm which is marking three years, as well as the opening of its new rice processing plant.
It was gathered that the plant has the capacity to process 210,000 metric tons of rice yearly.
Jonathan, while expressing satisfaction with the project, promised full governmental support, starting with the designation of the farm as a staple food processing zone. He therefore ordered the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and other subsidiaries to jointly ensure its immediate takeoff.
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President Jonathan, while stressing his administration’s transformation agenda, noted that the investors keyed into it, and urged other investors to follow the trend in order to develop agro-allied businesses in Nigeria.
Jonathan further revealed that his administration is working towards making sure that Nigeria becomes a net exporter of rice by the year 2020.
Source: Legit.ng
