Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, on Frida yperformed the ground breaking ceremony for the establishment of aPotato Farm and Processing falicity worth $120 million in Manchok,Kaura local government area of the state.
The project, jointly initiated by the state government and VicamprosFarms Limited, is said to be the biggest potato plant in sub-SaharaAfrica, cultivating 10,000 hectares of land and is expected togenerate 30,000 job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths.Speaking during the ceremony, El-Rufai said the project is veryimportant to the state as it will create jobs and stimulate a chainof economic activities that will impact positively on the economicdevelopment of the state and the nation.He said, Vicampro is not only going to process potato that will servelocal demand; it is also primed for export of its products, therebyearning foreign exchange for the country.He noted that Kaduna state is blessed with abundant natural
resources, adding that the government had introduced flexible policies that will encourage investors.“We have arable land, and a tradition of farming. Agriculture is a
sphere of comparative advantage for us; and we are promoting agriculture in our drive to diversify the economy of the state.“In our determination to generate jobs and reduce our reliance on the Federal Government for revenues, we have initiated investor-friendly policies in Kaduna state. We want businesses to feel safe bringingtheir investments to Kaduna state. That is why we organised the KadunaEconomic Summit (KADInvest) between 6th and 7th April, 2016, to showcase the numerous opportunities and potentials of the state and how ready Kaduna is for investment” the governor said.He said with the flexible policies in place, Kaduna is becoming a much easier place to do business as the state government’s efforts
have already started yielding positive results.“We have Olam of Singapore investing $150 Million to build the largest integrated Poultry and Feed Mill in Nigeria. Similarly,
Dangote Group is investing in a 7000-hectare tomato farm and aprocessing plant in Kaduna state” he said.According to El-Rufai, Kaduna need of investments in order to create
wealth and jobs so as to tackle the menace of poverty that has blighted too many lives and inclined many to succumb to machinations
of division, hate and mischief.He called on host communities in the area to be peaceful as no investor will want to do business in an atmosphere of insecurity and urged them to support Vicampro Farms Limited for the project to become a reality.
El-Rufai, Emefiele Lays Foundation for Biggest Potato Farm in Sub-Sahara Africa
