Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State has announced the
establishment ofa multi billion naira French Rice/Potatoes processing
plant in Manchok, Kaura area of the state. On completion, the plant
would offer 30,000 direct jobs to the teaming unemployed youths in the
state. Addressing a news conference in Kaduna heralding the ground breaking
of the plant scheduled for this week, commissioner for Agriculture and
Forestry, Dr. Manzo Maigari, said 5,000 hectres of land in each local
government would be allocated to community on the best ways of planting
potatoes.
According to Daily Post, he explained that as one of the steps to
empower farmers in the state, VICAMPRO, owner of the processing plant
would buy the potatoes from the farmers for its massive production as 60
per cent of the products would be exported. Maigari added that governor
El-Rufai’s economic diversification processing drive would extend to
other crops to revive the current economic challenges facing the country
and the state.
The commissioner said, “Since the coming of this government, we came
with a goal and determination in farming. What we did is to organize
farmers into cooperatives, commodity interest groups and the rest. “We
look at things critically and we decided that everything we are going to
do in agriculture, we have to have some value added which will be
private sector driven, so we are lucky to have VICAMPRO with an
investment worth 120 million dollars coming into Kaduna state to process
French rice and potatoes. “What are the gains for us, with this investment we are looking at
30,000 direct jobs, we are also working closely with them to see how we
can develop out growers network across all the local government areas
that have suitable soil to grow potatoes. “Another benefit is that it
will help us to standardize our farm practice in the state.”
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