Benue Govt to establish Agro Industrial processing sectors to boost commercial agriculture 

From Attah Ede, Makurdi 

Benue state government has revealed it’s preparedness to establish Agro Industrial Processes sectors that would make farmers capture maximum value of their produces.

The Director General, Benue Agro-Industrial and Processing, Economic Transformation Bureau BENAGRO Peter Chieshe  revealed this while speaking with journalists in Makurdi, Thursday.

He however lamented that Benue farmers are yet to  get value for their produce due to non availability of agro-industrial and processing companies in the State. 

According to him, the new Bureau is to leverage on the potentials of agriculture and manufacturing to bring development to Benue State, adding that the bureau has the responsibility of  modernizing agriculture and moving away from merchandising,  job starting agro-industry production and delivery prosperity and economic transformation.

“Agriculture is a vast field. Farmers output value is poor. Agriculture is  interwoven with processing. Farmer do not capture the true value, the agro-industrial processing is where the wealth is. That is where value enhancement is. Selling agricultural raw materials will make your farmers poor. 

“But Food industry is where the wealth is everywhere around the world. Agro-Industrial sector is a big employer of labor. The governor has a vision to diversify the economy of the State away from dependant on the monthly allocation by leveraging on the power and potentials of agro-industry for economic transformation that will change the face of Benue. This is a strategy to drive home grown solution to prosperity. 

“The Bureau is charged with modernizing agriculture. It is charged with jump-starting agro-industrial production and delivering economic transformation. 

“Agricultural modernization and Processing. We will help small farmers to boost their productivity. Government will revive moribund industries and establish new ones. The governor is opening up the State to woo foreign investors to invest in this area and grow the economy. 

“The governor has a plan to reposition the State as its true status as the Food Basket of the Nation. He has the plan to make Benue the leading Rice producing state. The plan is to improve the Internally Generated Revenue through rice production. You will see Benue hitting the nation with Benue rice that can compete with any rice in the world.

” The focus is on farm mechanization. Benue State has not it gotten right in agriculture and that is what the Governor wants to correct. It does not make sense for any Govt not to support or implement agriculture mechanization and funding and allow its farming population to continue to use hoes in a 21st century. 

“This government wants to change that trajectory. We want the small holder farmers to grow. Land clearing in undergo in all parts and Benue people will see a great deal of transformation in the agricultural sector of the State. There is no effective economic transformation plan if the Small and Medium and Enterprises are neglected. We will help them to grow”.

“Therefore, Benue Agro Industrial Processes and Economic Transformation Bureau. is governor Alia’s brain child to delivery prosperity to Benue people and is going to harness and market all the virgin commodities in the state. 

“We will inject technical process into agricultural business in Benue to enhance food production, discourage farmers from selling their raw materials because consistent selling of their raw materials would make them perpetually poor. We will establish establish Agro Industrial Processes sectors that would make farmers capture maximum value of their products.

“We will combine agriculture with manufacture to create jobs, bring about poverty reduction and increase internally generated revenue of the State and also  diversify the economy of the State away from its dependent on monthly allocation to homegrown prosperity by leveraging on the power and potential of agriculture, agro-industry”, Cheshe said.

He maintained that Governor Alia has a plan to make Benue State a leading producer of rice in Nigeria. Benue State can feed Nigerians with rice and there would still be surplus. IGR and cash flowing rice alone would be far above federation annual allocation to Benue.

“Already, Governor Alia has began opening up of Benue community lands for investment opportunities. Government is taking the leading role as a facilitator to showcase the potentials for foreign investors to come in.

“There is plan to assist small holders farmers by opening up rural roads, engage in land clearing and empowering the farmers seedlings and other agricultural inputs to aid the farmers.