Plateau State attracts Investors in Exotic Crops and Perishables

A team of agri-business investors from South Africa has said it will invest in farming, processing and export of exotic crops and perishables in Plateau State.

The Managing Director of the Plateau Investment and Property Development Company (PIPC), Mr Chrysogonus Yilzak, who led the team to the Government House, revealed that the agency had been in talks with the investors on the possibilities of investing in the state.

Yilzak said the investors were in the state under the Plateau Fresh Project targeted at harnessing its abundant and untapped potentials in production, marketing, processing and export of exotic crops and perishables.

In a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Affairs to the Governor of the state, Dr. Makut Simon Macham, a survey conducted by the investors showed that 18 potential crops were ready for investment initiatives across the state.

On his part, the technical partner to the project, Mr. Ian White, described the state as an ideal destination for growing many varieties of crops and vegetables that are in high demand in Nigeria and around the world.

White said the team has gone round to identify some areas and crops produced by over 4,000 farmers who, he added, were shortchanged by middle men that do nothing except moving the products to the cities.

According to him, the investors plan to conceive, design, build and operate a tested agri- business model that will train farmers using technology and modern farm inputs to guarantee high yield.

Furthermore, White explained that the team would establish value addition mechanisms to ensure that products are processed and packaged before taken out for export and domestic consumption.

However, he regretted that the state with high capacity for tomato production was not able to meet up with domestic demands as Nigeria has to spend huge foreign exchange in importing tomato paste.

Remarking, Governor of the state, Simon Lalong, lauded the team for visiting and expressing investment interest in his state’s agriculture sector.

Lalong said his government will continue to do its best in providing an enabling environment for investors particularly in agriculture which, he identified, as the main source of employment and economic prosperity for Nigeria.

Agro Nigeria