Benue to inaugurate state-owned breweries for retainment of N1bn beer spending

…move to boost sorghum, cassava production

As part of efforts to retain the whopping amount of money spent monthly to buy beer from other parts of the country and outside the country, Benue Investment and Property Company Limited has concluded arrangements to inaugurate a State-owned brewery plant.

The construction of the brewery is a significant milestone in the socio-economic growth and development of Benue State, having had the old Benue Breweries Limited sold to Nigerian Breweries PLC through defunct Consolidated Breweries PLC, and is expected to have a positive economic impact on the lives of the people and their drinking habits.

The soon-to-be-inaugurated brewery plant, according to an official statement, will have an installed production capacity of 180,000 bottles of beer per day with a huge capacity to boost production of sorghum and cassava considered the main beer raw materials.

Recall that a section of the Media had earlier quoted Raymond Asemakaha, Managing Director of Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC) to have stated that Benue as a State consumed beer in the region of N850 million and N870 million monthly, and the consumption could rise to N1 billion during the festive periods in December every year.

But, to change the trend, Benue Investment and Property Company Limited, is putting up the brewery plant in the State in order to create wealth and employment opportunities through sorghum and cassava production considered to be main raw materials needed in production of beers and even the beer production activities.

Speaking during the facility tour of the brewery plant, Raymond Asemakaha, Managing Director, Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC), stated on Monday that in the next 20 days, the brewery plant would be inviting Benue citizens and residents to taste the proposed beer in five different locations across the State.

Asemakaha, who was accompanied by the Management of Benue Investment and Property Company Limited to inspect the progress of work at the factory, added that the Company commenced the construction of a brewery plant at Akile Village along the Makurdi-Gboko Road in order to reduce the monthly spending on beer.

While expressing his desire to see that the project is completed on schedule, the Managing Director, urged Benue people to plant more sorghum and cassava with a view to creating a supply network for the raw materials used in beer production, a deliberate action to retain more money in the State’s economy.

“This brewery, which is expected to be completed soon, will provide direct jobs for hundreds of youths; have a backward integration for thousands of Benue farmers, and contribute to the growth of the economy in line with the vision of His Excellency, Hyacinth Iormem Alia”, Asemakaha said.

Businessday repprts that Raymond Asemakaha, Managing Director of Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC) was conducted round the site by Jerry Iosun, Department Head of Real Estate and Infrastructure and Philip Zegejir, Project Programme Manager, who provided updates on the progress of work.