Kogi State Governor, Capt. Idris Wada, says the government is planning to establish cassava and cashew processing plants in the state.
He said the state was a leading producer of cashew and cassava in Nigeria.
He said his government would continue to boost their production, processing and marketing as well as the development of the allied industries.
In an interview with journalists in Lokoja on Thursday on the sidelines of the second anniversary of his administration, Wada stated that agriculture remained the largest source of employment and income for most of the people and the source of raw materials for agro-based industries.
He said efforts to increase personal incomes and reduce poverty must begin with agriculture.
According to him, the state is highly endowed in agriculture and natural resources such as arable land, forests and river basins for irrigation farming.
Wada said the state effectively keyed into the Federal Government’s Accelerated Rice Programme and the Cassava Value Chain Programme.
According to him, under the ARP, the state earmarked 1,500 hectares of land for rice cultivation, while 250 hectares of land is being opened up in each local government area.
He claimed that the land was being cultivated and allocated to women and youth co-operative groups.
“The Federal Government is also collaborating with the state to establish Staple Crop Processing Zones for Rice and Cassava. The Cassava SCPZ is located in Alape, Kabba/Bunu LGA.
“The state government is working with investors like Dangote, BUA, Nigerian Flour Mills, Chelsea Farms, American Rice Farmers and Cargill International to develop the SCPZs. Over 200 youths and women have been trained in cassava chips, grits and garri processing,” he said.
The governor said the state had acquired 10,000 hectares of land in Acharu for oil palm plantation and ensured the development of sugar cane plantations and processing by the BUA Group.
He said that there was production of Soya Beans in selected local government areas in collaboration with the UNDP, Federal Ministry of Agric and Two Scale NGO.
“Other achievements of the government include Green House Tomato Project; effective implementation of the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme under the agricultural transformation agenda of the Federal Government.
“About 30,000 farmers have benefited from the scheme, which has cost the state about N80m as our 25 per cent contribution.
We have the State Cocoa Development Scheme in nine LGAs. Here too, the state government has paid about N30m while there is an aggressive implementation of the Fadama Development Project.
“We are also cooperating with the Republic of Vietnam on Accelerated Rice Programme,” Wada said.
