Monday, March 26, 2012
DAILY SUN
Business
35
With
IMI: OLA _olo il)1iloo.<O.uIc
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Teragro iuice plant give Benue farmers a lift Gf.
Whd~ liunltDg the 5WC goo.:r"'f for mcouragq 1Il ~ trJlQU Ul the IliUe, be c 'lIed on other 5Ia!C IP'c:r'(lB 10 play I role and ( ~al: employl me:m for )'t I Ul! people. 1his pi 101 ....'n crnuc cmployn O il for our pe0ple LfI Bc: ... u ~. nus IS whaJ. soOO puhli "PWIlC partnership can do 'The Slate
limes.~ here ror small hokf..
rlnn~ In
BenUIt Suue. TblnQ
to Tenere UC'Qrruil Juke Cuncentnllt plant, Makunl l Since the company wtuch produces tnngIC, mIlrlgo and pmeapplc trun Jwte conccnuates opened for buslllCSS • few monlhs ago. cilruS I'armen and pU'IeaJlP1e growcB have found • rQdy markd for the ... produce.. And ever SUlCC then, their Incomes have nsen constderably. In !he pa5l, Wll!ita&e _ • huge challenge due 10 transpOrt and lack of 5loragc fal:illlics.. Bul Tc:ragro. I subudiary of TI'IUlSOlI'p and the fus cf its kind juICe c:onccntnlte production facilily !rI Nlgena. bas nsen to du5: challenge. TIle plant t5 the product of • dc:a.I between Transcorp and the Benue State SOY-
governor
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prneessc:s. Aocordtng 10 him, !he lilctory isaqJable of ProdllClLl8 In large c:ommerc:loIl quantities.. tnrIF JUic: I!Id mango puree ar«nlfau:s. He JalJ. We are CIIpI-
bk of pIUI " lCing 30,000 metnC kfll...> of concenU'Iles 1WI1ll1ly."
Jerngro -ken somng oranges for production at the factory
"Before we discovemt oil, we ~ liVID! With agnculturc. We should go back 10 !he good ok! Ibys. TIICD ....·c did DOl borrow money, lOday we are borrowing hoi we have ~ 1hat can generate money 10 SI.lJlPOI1 thl5 couooy," he said Prc:sidenI Jonathan lOki the gathenng thai Nip IS an agranan country bIc::.sc:d with good weather and atabk land, notmg thar. I"vestment m the seaor would hclp uansfonn the C!COQOfIly. He, thereJIn., wP Nigenans 10 embrace 1IJ1cu.hur~ and thanked Go\'C'nOr Gabnd &as-n for cmmng an enabhng mV1ftlftmou for mvesun The prt::OOr:nllllso thanked the people of Bcnue for nwnwrung pc:8I% 10
tic CXpl..lnetJ that the product WI II provlde • morr: OOM lffccuve allern.anve for kal manu&c~ and evm IJI.nSlate 10 m u l'<: alfordable pncc:s for COl\SlJl1lClS. "By proce5Iiing domesacuU) grown fruits, Ihousand$ of farmen will c:npy long u:nn Increases m Iheir smndarrls of livlnS! malr.ml! a conlrihlilioo to nual econom,.: tJansfarmabOIl and JOb crcaoon... be salLi. Also speaking. the fIlIInIiJlI 4 ~ of Transcorp, Mr Obtnnll Ufudo, IUkJ the pbnt 15 gencnuing erupkJyment .m I nproving; the livelihoods of small-holder f.lr1 .:n . He s;ud "13cnuc: SWc IS the number or < PI odlK:eI" of orange m Nigena and Nigeria Ii l/)e second largest producer of CltN5 m ilk: \0..-1..1. We do aport, ....'C JUSl allol.L. II .; 'm1~ EI!S 10 rot away and then use miDiOrIS of 10) impOr1 concentnuc:s. With dus plant, mOl t farmm "'111 go iOIO !he busmess ~ d C'I have a ready martet for lhcar proWct... He aplained that his company .\.:(:itbi 10 go mto food processu1& becallsc II " , me mISSing Iulk for NiI;CfU 10 becomc iCll ..... rTlQml
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Prestdent Jonathan thalled the Ownna. ofT.-.nICOfJI, ~tr. Tony flumdu and Ius team for belptng to unprove rural hvelihoods In
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In h15 remarks, Go\'emor Sl1§wam, expbmed 1Ik11 Ihe SIlltc go\'I:!I'l\I11(fl1 buill the faclOf)' but could not ~te II Willi T~ took IIIUld IUmc:d it around. Ue: saKi; "We arc happy thIS 15 bapperung today- This IS the pta.idcnI's ITInSfonn:uion agenda !hat we an: witneS!iin,. We have: a 101 of OfWlF and mango farms ill Bcnue but 10 1I~ pI5I. our fannas could not nWike much. This fBculfy will do a lot to the talI'IOOIya[ Ihis stale. As the bread basket o[Nigeria, tlWi is ~ agnc money should be inveskd because we are notjUSl fceding Africa buI the ';I;hoie Vt'Orid." Whik strasin& the need for IlllICIi 10 coJ.
us
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While c:omm&SSIOl'IlI the plant ~. PR:stdcot Goodluc:k Jonathan said 10 Kfueve the: V1SIOO 20: 2020 !Ram. the countty musl mdustnalase and the pnvate sec:KIr ITUI: play • key role. He C:XpWncd thai !he plant was an oppc.-1lmIlY for Nigeria 10 ldl.II.Iise lIS rkeam of proc:cS5lfl1 Citrus 10 meet local COft5lllt1Ilion and for export. The prudent tqed all swe gOYemmelllS 10 come up Wllh poIlQCS.ud prognunmcs 10 create an enablmgcnvtronmCnl (or the pnvab! seclOr 10 opcnue. MAIJ the stald ha\"C' pmducU:!hey an sdI. they should look: at areas ~hete tbt:y have compamuvc advantage and work Wllh the pnW1(: sector." he un The president said hIS Idminisrnuion would revamp the seclOr for econonllc tnms-
tllCOllagW
and tamd Ihe road 10 1I115 place.. From now on. we do not expecl our people 10 have ....'a!;1Igc, our kx:aI farmm ",ill produce: more.,.. hi:; added During a lOur of the plant, tht Managing I>in:cta", Dr Jidc Adcdej~
111
l-R: Directof
Resources, HeiB
mg5, Owen ~1C9O,
ElnneIu and ~ionol Bank Head UBA, Mr:
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labonne 10 boost food producuon ill lIIC counuy, be wged pOO:ntilil invc:s«n 10 mveslln the Slll1e as Ihere are other fadonc:s across the stale begging for lIx:ir allention. Earlier in his opening rernarU, Mr Elurnelu, thanked the presidmt and said the facility was an &nSY.'eT1O thepn:sidcnt',calilO InlfISfonn the economy Ihroogb .gncul~ He said the plant has the capilCUy 10 pr0duce 30,000 metric IOnS of fiuitjuia: COI'IL'Cn-
• Tronscorp,
.wan Idolui dUring the commlS$lCItUJI9 01 arulUally I1()(tng thai in the socond year, they inll!Od 10 get mto the international mar· tme
,,,un
food produc:tlCllL
He C{~ hIS compilI '( Ie" "~ Ineu 10 pQIVIICr olher !illites to enable N ~I'" aclueve
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AOIXlRiiIl¥ 10 hun, tbe c:c ll: ntn!.! which has Iwo years shelf life has n.. pr.;:,ervauyc bccaLII/II: of tlx: tcchnology used , nd tbe I1IIle-
na1s for pmduclion. Interestingly, demand for hUll JUICC In He: Aid the plane will provide a ~ mar- Nigena is growing and il WIll kc.!p i!lOW1ns: liS tbe: population IIOd lIIOOfnCS grow. ket for fanners il!i ""ell lIS a deponable souro:: MIlllY 5mal1 hokier &rmets 111 Benue m:i of conUfllnIle for 6uit juice mnnuf.:tw'm in Olhc:r paru of IN: counuy have II polcnUai for lhe country. He !Old the plhenng that aJready bwiU'leSS- prodlIclll& nlOfe; and scllins 10 Tcngrn. Dr. men in Europe are sho....'ing mtm:s:I in the Adcdeji said the compiIIly 15 ":lXnmiw:d 10 producing high quality conocnIr"l~ bodJ for the Nigcnan martel 1M for eqm.
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