Page 34; ·f IUS DAY, Vol. 16, No . 6007
Tues day, Octob er 4, 20U
industry
fS . usinessWORLD
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EbonyAgro: Heralding Self-sufficiency in Local Rice Production n spite o f the pervasive cuhiviI1ion of ria: across Ihe country. Nigeria ata)u nts for more than 20 petcent of su b-Sahnran Afri ca's rice impon . with anntml impon bill _ in ~cess of US S2bn . TIlis is t he direct consequence of
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prim itive ri ~ r lanti ng and Inilling methods by lOCllI fann en runl rroceo; ~or:s. as well II.<; llJf:k of credit and linkages \0 Ihe m:ukct . Olher dlal lm ges facing primary produccn of ria: in thecouutry includedearth ofirri galion syslClftS, poor ~IS aUtI disC"lse oonlro l. unorgan ized del ivery o f inputs and poor
i nf~lruClure
Cr usoe Osagie report steps to reposition local production and rice processing as Nigeria strives to halt its dependence on imported rice
de\'clopment.
However. lh-! renewm inlm:sl of government in the IIgricultun:: sector. especially rice produCl ion and processing for ils huge K{)n(' mic po(entii\ls in Ihe
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of job cmuion.
food sec'.lri ty ,'ld foreign exchang,e savings. as well ;\'i earnings thro ugh Hport o f ~u rplu s. may m 'me t hi~ negative trend . 11nuugh polides .such as the Agrirultu re Crroit Guaran trt: Schone and more recelltl y, the Nigeria Incall h 'cbMcd Risk Sh,lIi ng SyStCfl1 for Agrirultural Ltnding (MRS/\ L). i n it i ~td by the M inistry o f Agrirullure and the Centr.tl Dank of Nigeria (CBN), government is showi ng un usual commllmcnt to the ag ri cu lluml sector, It will be ~ ..a1lcd Ihal §utt'CSsive govemmCflts since thc 19705 \\~ c n 'lutt'CSs ru l in promoti ng lhe load prod Udioll o f rioX in the o ,untry. More recmtpolicy fonn ulalion in thc .!;ill'llC directic'n iocl udes the Presidouial Ini liath'c 011 Rice and proposed han o n imported riet: in 2007, In ndd ition , international ilfCT1cies such M the World Bank ruld USAlD hil\'t' su pported inili:ll;vcs sudl as Cross River Rice Projt'CI and Olam Ri a Project . anlong others , In spite these policies and iniTIa1ivcs. tilt' nmion ha<; 1I0t yet achieved ,!;Clfreliance. ill the tlCt' sub-SC'CIor, In Tl:!irOIl ~e 10 this dHlltenge and the res trict iun on rice exports hy major rice pJOdudng countries in the wake of the recenl gklbal f"od cris is. the Fedoai Go\'cmmcnl in 2008 set up a N IO bT! lion Rice Pl'IX"e5sing Intervmtion Fund. to ellcourngo: local proces~ ing of ri ce. 11,i5 is in viC\\! of the extens ive cult i\illion of rice across 12 slatrs and the nbundalla: of u n pro~~scd p.1ddy in the country, Pri vate st'ctor in \'CStocs were t ncouraged TO be part of the scheme d~ i!ncd to establish Ial ge-scale ri C!:' procr.ssing mills lind dusters across the ctlun ' ry. Ebony Agro Indus tries Li mited, which rtreIlI ly completed a 50 ,OOO- If'nnc ri ce- processi ng m ilt in Ebonyi S tale ex pre.o;sed into !S1. wa5 pre-q ualified to accc:s,o; the Rice Process ing Inten..ention Fund. 10 set up 11 full y inlcp.rnted lNEc.scnle riCC"proa:ssing mi ll. whidl will produce, package. ruld gr.>tlc one or the best brnnds o f rice in Nigeria. Intended 10 cor tribute trenloldous ly to thc effort to ret urn lhecoun try 10 Ihe palh of self-sufficiency in rice prududion. as against the nlMs ive importaTion o f the stap le fuod commodity from S')ut h Eastern As ian countri es. the ri ce-processing m ill is situated in Ikwo. il ri ce- plan tin g suburb o f Ebony; St 3le, The uhrn-nlcdem mill. which wi ll redefine rice pJOduction and its entire val ue dlaln in one of the leadi ng agricultur.tl stales in the country. is thc biggest privatc Sf'CIor invcstment and industry in Ebonyi S tme. 11ll! company \V iII arn ievc: Ihh by promoting intermediation between rice flru«:ssors and f:mnm to deepen access to agriaJl turnl inputs. m:uket li nkages. technical support ~cr" i c:cs, a.~ well ilS financial ~ Cf\ ices. It wi ll thereby ~mel i orate the myri ad dlal lolges f:JCtn 'l; smaJl ho ldcr farmm in Ebonyi S tate sudl ~ low Clpacity lmd low yield per hf'CIa~ . as well lU skills and Itthnologic \I gap5. Engineer Charles Ugwuh . fo rmcr President of Ma n u focl u~ Association of Nigeria ( M AN) and C hainnan, F.lx)!'yAgro Industrics Lim ited said the ro rn pany is committe I to the dC'o'elopment and proper coordinalion of rice prod uction value chain in Ebo nyi S iale, comprising of agrio' llu rnl input supp lios , farmers. stornge alld logisties prov id'~. amonp: others, 10 In3ke rice prod uction in Ihe s tl'te alm lldi livc nnd commercial ly viable. n,c company. which 5t3l 15 production this October. is also collabornt ing wit h the Ebonyi STate Govern molt to establish an indus lrial ciustcr for rice procc:!'sing in Ik\\'o Local Go\'emment Al'(a of the s tatt'. TIlt' com mi.!;sioni ng or EbonyAgro. ncconli ng to Ugwu h, as well as the e .tablishmem o f ;'! rice-processing duslcr in Ebonyi Sinte . ...." Il change the role of :til p layos o n lhe ,'al uc chrun. di vidi ng lhci r fu nctiuns in a way that is most dJicirlll, Il wi ll cn ab le the fanncrfocus on what he knows how to do best, whicll is to plant ri a:. sanle for Ihe processor, To ar.-hiC\'e thi s , the company cnlcn:d into collabor.ltive pan ner-ship with USAJIJ Markds to esTablish an dlicimt fanners' out- gm\';er sdxme cumprisi ng aboul 3.000 rice farmm 10 cns u ~ regu lar ard oot"qu:lle supply o f quality ri a: paddy 10 the mil l. TIle pf1Jj;r.trIllne witl urso assist farmers trnnsform from subsistena 10 comrnmiaJ producns. "Ebon}'i SHih rnnk.<;: lIS the foun h larges t pJOducer of paddy ri ce. th:: moo:ssing of which is ironical ly cum:ntly undertaken by ~m d l mills in the mnge o f I 10 3 tons per d ay based nn Jlri nitivc parlx'iling tcchniqlles and limitctl to ftc- huski ng :lml Je-sloning with lillie aUC'ntion to gOOing., p'-, I i ~hing tlnd ~c rting , Similarl}. Ihe old system \\here the farmcr d ri~ his II\'C to ten bags Qfh:uvcstcd ri ~ ptldd )·. pal'"-
·Storog~
fn cilitJ
boils il. goes to the m ill and processes it for a fee before hQ:Ji ng to the markd to sell will no longer be fearr;ible , It is nOi competitive, tn spite of lilt' rigours involved. the farmer will not produce high quality ri ce because he is likely to parboil wilh di rt y water. pot the rice on the highway to dry." Ugwu h said. Wilh EbonyAgro Ind ustries Limited bridging the rice process ing gap and offeri ng linkages to the m:rl:et . ria: f:vlIIcrs in Ebonyi Slate will coocmtmte more on fanning, thereby growing from mere subs istence fann: ng into a commercially viable enterprise. To make this a real ity, the rompany intends to bri ng young enterprising graduates to intcrmediate between it and framm to impro\'e efficiencies by bringi ng technology to land prqJanlt ion , 11li5 wi ll ClIS U t~ Ihal the fanncr builds capxity and 0111 opernle rice farms lU a commercial Clllerprise Ihat pays profi t. not as mere subSi51ena::. Investment in an ul tm· modem rice-processi ng m ill by EbonyAgro Industries Limited al igns wit h Ihe Fedrrnl Governmen t's current policy focus to rt:--di versify the economyand rt:--position the agriC\l lt ural sa.10r to play its pivotal Ic.ad role in economic ®'ClopmOII. It will boost the q UlUl ti lY and quality o f rice production in the country, revi,al ise and hlUTlC!iS the enormous potentials o f the aili ng agricullure 5a:tor 10 create food security, stimulate job eremion. wh ile also enhanci ng the income of farmm . It is o ne of the roul'" ultra-modem rice-proc:c:ss ing mills in VruiOU5
stages o r complct:ion across the cuuntry. with 13 add ilional mills by pri'llte investor5 expected to sw~1I Ihe number 10 seventeen before WIS . as projected by go\'emmrol. Unchecked importation of rice fmlll I ndi~ , 11tailarnJ and Vietn"m may howevcr jeopnn.lize eITons at growing and oo'eloping the IOCII ri ce plan ting and process ing indu5try. Calling for a m'icw o f the rice im]lOrt lariff to prolect load rice in\'C$lol'5. Engineer Charles Ugwuh srud it is Ihe way forward if Ihe oountry must be self-suffi cient in rice product ion. " We are j ust making ch an ges to improve. Un hindered impo'1a1iolls will make rice culti\'lIIion unattr:lCli\'e to (;11'111(:1'5, thereby denying procc:ssors actt:SS to inpnts. More so. we otllnot sell agnin ~ t the effici encies already achieved by the South- Ensl A~ ian pJOduccrs, ''Cum:nt ly, the \\ide impon tariff differen tial bdwten brown ri ce antl fi nished ri ce is a roum:: o f WOlT)' to local inve!! tors. Wh~ the tariff o n import ed ri ce is 30 pctttrll. th31 o f brown n ee is 5 percellt , The differential in favou r o f b,o\,,1 rice is blUed o n the consideration th;" il is an intermedi;,te rnw malerial . wh ich brings wilh it the benefi t of load value addition. However, many impanm hiwe cashm in on this Mpect of the tariff to bring in compiete'ly fini shed rice disguised as bro ..... n rice as a way o f evading p.lymall of rtpprop ri ate tariff, In addition to the problcms o f poor procc:ss techno logy and j natltq uate in frastl\lcture. Ihis t:niff mallipulaliOIl mnkes il impossib le for the local industry to col1lpct:e effectively."
Fedex Appoints New Vice President of Operations
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edEx Express. ' a sUbsidiary of FedEx Corp. and the world 's la ~esi ex press transpOit alton company, hM an Douneed the OIppOint ment o r David Ron as Senior Vice PrC.!;ldent o[ OPerations for Fed Ex Expre,b Midd le En$ t. ' lrtdian sulH:ontincnt And Africa. FcdE:x. said Ross , su~ teeds Hamdi Osman. who re tired fro m Fed Ex Express "ner more lhnn 30 years of service, and will ~ basetl at the company's Midd'e~ East headq uarters in Dubai. United Arab I3mirutes, The company s.1id Ross begon his career tit FetJEx Express bock in 1992 in
s)a~y, Australia. ma.nagins the compau)".!; ground operations unlil he wa.~ pro.moted to Managing Omlor of AUlilnllasia and the Pacific Islands in 1993_ "A ),C:M latd Indonesia was added to liis drea of responsi bilities. 8y Novem ber 1995 , Ro!~ moved on 10 take lip the pOSition o f A1anaging Director for Hong Kong lind Maca u. one o r the ,import_'I. ni dis tricts for Fed Ex In Asia Pacific. Having successfull y de\·elQped operntions thcre j he was appointcd as Vice President of the NOrlh Pacific Region io Seplember 1998. re:sponsible for all corpornl~ 5tr&te-
gies and ope!1ltions 3CIOSS Korea. Japan, Guam and Taiwan," il s:iid. ' Aeconling ' io FcilEx , in April 2005. Ross was appointed Regional Vice President of FedEll ,lli,press; Soulh Pacific. based o ut of Singapore a lso sitying thal in April 20 1I , Jje was appo inted as Vice President, integration and Domestic Operations in lodill. Ilnuther key region in the global Fed&' network. "'n Iris new capacity a.~ Senio r Vice President. lie will be responSible for the leadershi p .8 11(1 Slra tegic direction or FcdEx Express opernlions in the ~ liddle East, Indian sub-continent
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lind Africa , made up o f countries like the United Kin g~m . France. China, India. S inGapore, United Ara b Emirates. Nige ria. Egypl, Soulh Africa. ele. Red Star EllPresS P ic it; a licensee of FedEli: Express in Nigeri a," FedEx added , i' David Ross's p rover. leam:rship .sltills and bro:ld business 6perience in the ex press tra nsporlation indUSTry make him i\ll excellent choice as the new Senior Vice lTesident o f Opc:rations fo r lhis reg ion" , said Gerald P. Leary as Regional Pre.~ident fo r fluropc , Mield!e G1~- , I...ciian ~1Ibccntmenl ;'I nd A fl ;ca," FedEx :Kided