Minister calls on Cocoa Processing  management to  upgrade facility 

From Ene Asuquo, Calabar 

The Minister of  State for Industries, Senator John Owan Enoh has called on the management of Cocoa Processing Factory in Ikom to expedite action in the area of facility upgrade inline with  international best standard, to attract federal government support.

The minister made the call when he visited the management of the factory yesterday in Ikom local government area of Cross River State., shortly after inspecting facility at the factory .

He stated that although the facility at the factory were good but needed to be upgraded to be able to meet up with the challenge that is ahead, especially when the factory becomes fully operational.

Enoh told the management of the firm that it is only when they standardize their facility that they will be able to access the numerous incentives of the federal government that aides industries.

“My mandate is to champion industries , goods, processing of raw materials .

“This facility represents the first real attempt . The company which this facility was concessioned to wrote to my ministry calling for collaboration and for public private partnership.

” Most of the international conferences I had attended, in and outside the country I had actually put in front the issue of cocoa processing. 

“I mean that’s why I am here just to find out what is happening .As I sit on the side of government as minister of industries, I also want to be sure that as I am advising the government that is the way we have to go.

 “I want also be sure that we have enough cocoa that can feed the industries in a manner that  we don’t have some sort of challenge in the cocoa value chain.

 “I need to be sure that we have a  factory in Ikom that is fully functional, an industry that have capacity to absorb that cocoa that can no longer be taken out of Ikom. Those are the things we need to work towards.

” If you work hard and work honestly, I can assure you of assistance. Within the ministry of Trade and  investment, there are incentives that government have put in place.

” Since I became minister of Industry, Trade and investment I have signed hundreds of approvals  for import Duties Exemption Certificates (IDEC.)

“For company like yours that may want to import machinery for the purpose of their work. The ministry grants you exemption.

“There are things you don’t pay. There are incentives in place . One of the agencies that is directly involved is under my mandate, is the bank of industry. “I just completed a tour of industries in the south west , industries upon industries. I found Managing Directors of industries and manufacturing companies telling  me to thank bank of industry because of the support they provided for them.”.He maintained.