Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara, says the Shonga Farms Holdings, in partnership with Austravia of Australia, will begin the exportation of cassava chips to China.
Ahmed disclosed this after an interactive meeting with a delegation of Austravia, Exporters of Dried Cassava Chips, led by Mr Sam Popilko, its Chief Financial Officer, at the Government House, Ilorin on Monday.
He said the first batch of 6, 000 tonnes of cassava chips would be in the next two weeks.
Ahmed stressed that the state’s emphasis on value chain management in agriculture was beginning to pay off with the new arrangement with Ireti Farms under the auspices of Shonga Farms.
He said his administration would support the exportation of cassava chips as it tallied with the State Government’s policy thrust in agriculture.
The governor explained that the exportation would encourage the emergence of a huge population of out-growers of cassava among the peasant farmers to service the major growers.
He commended the Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, for his initiative on the transformation of agriculture, noting that the initiative was in tandem with the core values of his administration’s Shared Prosperity programme.
The Austravia chief financial officer Popilko said: “as at today there are more than a million tonnes per day requirement of cassava in China ready to be explored.
“The glut of the produce in the Shonga Farms necessitated the new deal. The first batch of 6, 000 tonnes will be exported in the next two weeks,’’ he said.
In his speech, the minister of agriculture, Adesina, said: “Kwara State is very strategic to the Federal Government’s initiative on cassava export.
Represented by his consultant, Chief James Awoniyi, the minister said the state has the foresight with the creation of the Shonga Farms Holdings, which had been a great success.
He noted: “cassava will surely become the foundation for the economic development of this state and Nigeria is waiting. ’’
Adesina pointed out that with this initiative, Kwara was poised to taking over from Thailand as a major exporter of cassava.
Mr Tope Daramola, the Chairman of Shonga Farms Holdings, noted that cassava chips exportation would have multiplier effects on agricultural activities in the state as China had demand for one million tonnes of cassava chips. (NAN)