FG to Establish Food Processing Plants in Designated Zones Across Nigeria -Adesina

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Friday, September 27th, 2013

Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina

To reduce the cost food production and transportation of produce, the Federal government of Nigeria says efforts are underway to partner with private investors to establish food-manufacturing plants in some selected rural areas in the country.

In a chat with Journalists in New York, the minster of Agriculture Dr Akinwunmi Adesina who disclosed this also explained that the designated zone code-named “staple crop processing zone,” will be vast areas that have high yield of a particular farm produce even as he stated that the aim is to reduce cost and boost food production.

His words: “This staple crop processing zone are vast area we are developing where the private sector will come into the rural area where you have high production of food to set up food manufacturing plant there, instead of moving produce out you actually process to reduce the cost of transport and to create jobs in the rural area where these plants are established.”

Transportation

To boost food production the minster also commended efforts of the minster of works in the area of road construction and maintenance and also the minster of transport for the return of railway saying these efforts by the two misters are strategic and helpful to farmers to evacuate their produce.

“Minister of works is working hard to improve major high ways and roads in Nigeria and as that get done, that will enable of farmers to transport their produce to market. The work that is being done by minister transport is fantastic—we have the railway working again that make it easier to transport agriculture produce.” the minister added

Fish Production

According to Dr. Adesina, with the plenty of waters, seas, lake and creeks across the country, the country has no reason for importing fish in the country.

His words: “Nigeria is blessed. We have the sea, we have rivers, we have lakes, we have creeks and it doesn’t make sense to me that we are importing fish. And that is why we started in the ministry a very aggressive programme called aquatic culture.

“Right now, we have a total consumption of 2.3 million metric tons of fish but we are producing 700 metric tons just because we abandon our own waters and just import fish.

“Fish loves water and we have waters. So our plan is to be self sufficient in food production within 4 years and I have already said that those that are just brining in fish and acting like we don’t have water in this country can just forget about it so we are also helping fish folks to get back to business.

Adesina also added that the ministry is not just distributing fertilizers and seeds, saying “we are also working on lives stock. We have started a growth enhancement scheme to help folks who are into poultry production.”