Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has expressed optimism that
the State’s $12 million Cassava processing initiative will create jobs
and enhance the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.
The Governor urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal
Ministry of Agriculture to support the initiative to boost food
security, create jobs and earn foreign exchange for the country.
Governor Wike said this during a meeting with the board of the Rivers
Cassava Processing Company Limited at the Government House, Port
Harcourt on Tuesday.
He explained that the State government ought to enjoy the support of the
CBN in its endeavour to boost food production and reduce importation of
cassava products, particularly, processed starch into the country.
According to him, if the Rivers Cassava Processing Company is
encouraged, the country’s dependence on imported cassava products will
drastically reduce.
The governor regretted that the CBN has failed to accede to Rivers State
government’s request for N5 billion to boost the agriculture sector in
the State. He noted that if part of the N5 billion is invested in the
Rivers Cassava processing initiative, it will create jobs and reduce the
unemployment rate.
He suggested that the State government’s 70 percent equity in the
company should be divested to encourage private sector participation and
minimise government interference in the affairs of the company.
The Rivers State Commissioner of Agriculture, Dr Fred Kpakor explained
that the multi-million Dollar cassava processing plant located at Afam,
in Oyigbo Local Government Area, has the capacity to process 45,000
metric tons of cassava tuber to produce 12,500 metric tons of
high-quality cassava flour.
Kpakor added that the plant will create over 3000 jobs, and that in the
medium term, the company will add starch to its products as well as
glucose in the future.
The managing director of the company, Reuben Giesen, said the facility
will run on environment-friendly power from the Rivers State Independent
Power Plant in Afam, thus, setting the pace for industrialisation of the
area.
Giesen said the State government and its partners, the Netherlands
Embassy in Nigeria and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), have
keyed into the cassava production polity of the Federal Government.
The External Relations Manager of SPDC, Mr. Igo Wali, explained that
Shell has already invested $3.6 Million into the project as a mark of
its commitment to boost food security and enhance job creation in the
State.