Egypt plans investing in Ogun agro processing zone

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Egypt plans investing in Ogun agro processing zone

Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has disclosed that the government of Egypt, under its Food Security Plan, has shown interest in the Agro Processing Zone located in the Gateway International Agro Cargo Airport, along Iperu-Ilishan, Remo Road, in the state.

According to the governor, the North African nation had signified interest to farm its plantations in the zone, and plant crops, process the produce and also export the proceeds back to their home country.

Abiodun, who added that the representatives of the Egyptian government would be coming to the state very soon, to finalise the details of their investment, gave this disclosure during an interactive session with the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Ogun State chapter, in Abeokuta, at the weekend.

“Last week I met with the National President of the Rice Farmers Association in Abuja, it is a good opportunity for me to inform you that he is working with a team of Egyptian farmers from the Egyptian government who have the policy of food security and they identified Ogun State as one of the states they will like to partner.

“So, on the 16th of this month, the representatives of the Egyptian government in agriculture will be coming to Ogun State.

“Their interest is in the Agro Processing Zone; they want to have farm plantation there, they want to plant, they want to process and they want to export back to Egypt under their Food Security Plan.

“They have done their research and were convinced that Ogun State is one of the states that is strategically located for them to invest in, to farm, to process and to export,” Abiodun added.

While noting that his administration was poised to encourage foreign and local agricultural investors to partake in the out-grower scheme where land will no longer be allocated to them but to local farmers and other interested parties in the state, he declared “it is the belief of this administration that the idea would further help to empower farmers in the state.

“What we are trying to encourage now is that every foreign or even local company that wants to farm, we’ve discouraged allocating land to them, we are no longer disposed to giving land to them, we will rather encourage them to do an out-grower scheme where we will give land to you and say whatever it is you want to do, go and teach them how to do it and then we can buy it from them so that we can use that to empower you,” he stated.

On the request by the Ogun State AFAN that the state government should help members get agriculture related grants either through the Central Bank of Nigeria or other sources in the country, Abiodun urged the association to keep their ears to the ground, promising that as soon as his administration gets wind of such opportunity, it will take full advantage of it.