The Benue State Government has signed a $210 million concession agreement for the establishment of the national food city complex, making it the first of the six pilot states to begin implementation of the National Food Security Progrmme.
State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Moses Ogbaji,cautioned against using the agreement to obtain facilities that stand in the way of the project as Benue truly needs to restore food production.
Spanning over 30 hectares of land situated at Ogyoma Community of Akpa District in Otukpo Local Council of the State will be the National Food City Complex which is part of the Federal Government’s National Food Security Programme targeting large scale crop production, processing and distribution .
The signing ceremony takes place here in Makurdi with the State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Moses Ogbaji standing in for the State Government.
Officials say the Food City Complex is expected to integrate mechanized farming, particularly processing zones for rice ,maize, cassava and soybeans. There is equally the renewable energy component and logistics infrastructure designed to strengthen food systems, create jobs and speed up agro industrialization.
When completed, the National Food City Complex will not only boost food production but generate over 15 thousand jobs in the State.
(Editor: Nkoli Omhoudu)
