The BUA group yesterday revealed that it will solicit for government’s support to establish another 200,000 rice processing plant on the banks of Hadejia river basin in Auyo, Jigawa State, in addition to the already existing one in Kano.
This was disclosed by BUA’s group executive director, Strategy and Innovation, Alhaji Kabiru Rabi’u, during the signing of a partnership agreement with Kano and Jigawa rice farmers association in the group’s bid to build an outgrower scheme that will involve the provision of improved seeds, technical expertise as well as the BUA’s milling and processing infrastructure that will drive the group’s current processing capacity from 200,000 tonnes to 1million tonnes within the next four years.
Alhaji Rabi’u further stated that the company decided to take advantage of the FG’s decision to reduce the nation’s dependence on imported rice and boost local producers’ capacities to produce, process and package rice locally.
He said BUA Group will support government’s initiative by supporting rice farmers to take advantage of the CBN’s anchor borrowers scheme through provision of end-to-end support to the value chain via ensuring maximum utilization of BUA’s milling facilities.
President of Kano State Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Alhaji Abubakar Ali, said the state has over 500,000 rice farmers, adding that they will do all it takes to utilize the opportunity presented by BUA Group.