Popular Farms and Mills Limited, one of the biggest rice production companies in Nigeria, is investing the sum of N8 billion in opening up a new rice and sesame seed processing plants in Northern Nigeria State of Kano.
The company said the new investment is particularly, geared at scaling up the rice milling activities in the company from its current 430, 000 metric tons, to a record target of 1.5 million metric tons.
Suleiman Umar, national programme manager of the company, who confirmed this, during the foundation laying ceremony of the new plant held in Challawa Industrial Layout in the commercial city of Kano, weekend.He explained that the new investment was a practical demonstration of the company`s support and commitment to the on-going efforts by the Federal Government to make Nigeria self-sufficiency in Rice Production.
Umar disclosed that the company which started rice production in the country over 10 years ago, presently operates a rice mill with installed capacity of over 430,000 per annum, and has plan to also grow it Sesame Seed processing capability to 44,000 tons per year.
“Popular Farms and Mills Limited is a key stakeholder in Nigeria`s Agricultural Sector, and have being spearheading investment in massive rice production in many states in the Northern part of the country.
“Some of the practical steps taken to support the Agriculture sector in the country, includes: establishment of integrated agriculture operations to enhance paddy cultivation, as well as World Class rice mills.
“Our company has been very active in support rice farmers in states, such as: Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Niger, Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kebbi, through assisting them to embrace modern farming techniques, in addition to provision farming inputs through the farmers cooperatives and associations involved in rice production”, Umar stated.
Commenting on the achievements of the company, Umar noted that the company at the moment has one of the largest automated rice milling plant in the country, which is serving as an off-taker for over 35,000 farmers, and 1,000 rice cooperative groups.
“Other forms of support render to the farmers, includes, conducting various interaction and integration services, and technical training conducted for over 36,000 farmers participating in the company out-growers scheme.
“The supports provide was done under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) entered into with farmers” he added.
In his speech earlier, Muhammad Shehu Adamu, a director in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, who performed the Foundation Laying Ceremony of the new plant, on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, commended the company for the huge investment.
Adamu said the investment would go a long in boosting Nigeria `s economy, through the massive employment opportunity it will offer, pointing out that in the next few years the country will join the league of nations that are net exporter of rice.
Also speaking at the occasion, the representative of the Governor of Nigeria`s apex bank (Central Bank of Nigeria), Hassan Tom, said the efforts of the company has complemented the Government greatly in reduction importation and smuggling of rice into the country.
