The Minister of Agriculture and Development Dr Akinwumi Adeshina has said the present administration intends to make agriculture a way of business aimed at wealth creation.
Dr Adeshina, stated this at the launch of Alape Crop Processing Zone in Kabba Bunu LGA of Kogi State.
Dr Akinwumi said the Crop Processing Zone will help in storage and processing of cassava into starch.
The Minister said 62,000 metric tones of starch and 45,000 tones of sweetener will be produced through the processing zone said N14.5billion will be also be saved from importation.
The Alape crop processing zone the Minister added will help improve road, water, gas supply to the zone and attract between N666 billion to 1.4 trillion Naira to the economy.
Dr Akinwumi described the take off of Alape Crop Processing Zone as a dream come true said 8000 jobs will be created within the zone, said the project has the full support of the federal government to succeed.
Capt Idris Wada the Kogi State governor said the state government has adopted the agricultural transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan with its potential to improve the economy.
The Governor commended the federal government and Cargill Group of Company for its interest in investing in kogi state.
He said the state is working towards establishing a 15000 hectres of cassava farm,said the produce from the farm will assist several agro-allied and sweetener industries to be established in the state.
The governor assured of compensation to all farm holders in Alape, called for more support from the community, described the project as a model of cooperation between the federal, state and local government.
Speaking on behalf of Cargill the American investors Emeri Koenig said the group is in the last 150 years investing in 67 countries across the world, commended the leadership will shown by the Kogi State Government.
He added that the group will work towards using the abundant potentials in Kogi state to make the nation a net exporter of food and to make the state a reservoir for starch and sweetener industries.
In his speech, James Awoniyi project coordinator, described the farm as first fully mechanized farm in Nigeria, was started in August last year, covers 200 hectares of land with the cassava at their infant stage.
