THISDAY. VoL 17. N o. 6U6. Page 37
.... d.y. January 31. lOll
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Kwara's N70bn Rice Agreement with Spain Hammed Shittu presents the focus of Kwara State on agriculture as its instrumen t ofeconomic rev-li/ution and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding worth NlO billion between the state «avernment and Spanish investors on rice cultivation, processing and packaging
f
he rdevaKlt of I£naduue
10
the soao
tcono'TlIC
growth of .ny n_iom c.wuJOC be OYer emphasised. Apart 110m lhe fila tha , II bIs cmled wealtb. food, employmcnl ImOng OIhtn fur the lemun, populace, II . . also ICI'\<cd • • SOWt:C of InpulJi 10 manufuaunng .Juslnes. thereby lmproVlna lhe stlndald of living of the
-'''''. II
1$
due 10 lhesc (acton IhII, JOVUIUllCIII • all levels
iways l irive to ensun: 1M Ipladlille ranaull one of ifs IlIjOr propwnmcs. so • 10 bnnl new lease of life 10 the IICmbcn of the public. A lot of the OUlpul of the KItlor .scm::s _ upon com· IIOdIllCS for rnmy nIIlom oJ the world IIId by dUJ, II would Improve the IfOSJ domesuc podud of sudl nJlJonl wi wbaew:r a::auc: from II could KrVe '" bap earnings br such RIlIOflJ. llus c.1 be used 10 bnng the dividends of dcmoc:nicy 10 the door5ltp1 of the people.
Alrie Priority The JOvc:rnmeol of Kw•• ItMe, upon auumpOOG of office ~ 10 .,..cuh~ • liS mlllo priority In III bid 10 mille food av.lable 10 K~..ct also to tnae wClhb lOr the lee'llIn, popuJICC cspc:allly us I~n& youths, by fully enpeln,lhern In lhe VInOUS nmunJ pmotsses so as 10 boosl food pnxhKtloo in lhe Rae. 11l1s mo..c: by the pn:sent IdmmlSl"lon is noc a swpnse as the immcdlae pa!it one led by S~or Bukola Snlu .... bee the cunml a:ovemor, AJhaji Abdulfath Ahmed, served IS commissioner foc Fmanoc and EconomiC ~dopment, had mlllacd smes of agnculture pro. If*nmel Iha had dlt~iCf bcndil for Kv.w.ns 1bcre was the rommcraal timunJ a Shoog&. Maletc: A,"cuhure Youths Scheme, provision of faulisen 10 lhe f"armcn • • when 10""': amon& Othas, all Ihtsc had SlJ'Vt:d as Impe:lIlS for the pttSaIt IWnlnlstl'llioo 10 a)lninue 10 work 00 lhe deYdopmenl ."cuh~, so as 10 mac tife beanble f'tr the people Ind abo 10 bnna: food 10 the tlble of K ___ s Wlthoul any hmdJaK'le
or
Proasslnl MoU In pursUit of the . . . . the preit:flt Idmtrustnuon, under Governor Ahmed, rea.ul y 10 lIonn CJlla1::d a Mc:mcnndum of UndcntMdJnJ (MoU) With the Spaush IDwstors called ~ .. Consclftaum of SpaiD, on the: culll"Ion, procaSIR& Ind ~In& of nee The reMOn, IOx'f(lini to liUSDAY chocks, ...... no( tw&ched as t~ IS need 10 lale .ncuhuR: to InOIher Ie\'d of deYdopmau, ....,hun hnhato has: Informed lhe: lIae ~v_ cmment to tlke sad deaSIOO 10 mitt InlO Mol} wlch a S~lSh ncz produanl group of 6nncn, Vasol.. aJIlS(Wtlum. 10 faolilale a JOint vcnt~ for the dcvdopmc:nl.
Cosl of IDl"tstmen l The mVC$lment , ",tuch would CXKt a lOla! sum of N70 btllion bc:Iwecn the two aroups. saw the 51.e govcmmc:nt 10 provide 30 prJ" omt qfthe total mit includinaland avaalIbility of 20, 000 hcctaks and the Spanish in'lcston would llso proVide lhe mn.. mnjl; 10 per cau of the total 0051 of the invcstmenl for lhe penod of four yean . In .ckIltlOO, dunnl lhe. negollaJon, the SpIIOlsh com~ oy and lhe rqnst:nlai\cs of K ....... Slale Jovcmmcnt agreed tha lhe InVCSlment Will be In Slagel. especially to see the mml*'Y uwesllna10 million Ew'OIi mnualily for the penod of four )Un matma a lotal InYeilmml of 280 million Ewos. Based oa chiS ~t, the stae: govcmmc:nt wdl .,Iocae 5,000 hcct-.:s of lind for lhe process £creach slage. Tech n kaJ FaJlou l nnSDAY funha" Illhaed that • panicul. apca of the
tnnsacuon w.s the techmcal 'Blrun, aspea thal will see IDWJCOCI Ind local er.pc:ru (finncn) In riee produc:tioo, procasing and J*l.m'IO'D,IO Sl*n for tedmicallBlnlad lOme other Icdmology thal the OCImJ*ly ~Id be brin&m& 10 the Ilate: 11us. it was .Iso ~ WIll stat witb the filSl stage (Inoclule) Ind would lllso Involve ft'SCaI'Cb and deYdopmou aped . II was also Isnt tha, that each 5Iage of 5,000 bectll'CS of lind IS er.peacd to ytdd 40,000 lonnes of nee annually
I.,
Condu d ,·t E a vl ronmtnl 1b sun the project. the Spanish nee furmas anwed lhe Qe: particulll'ly the prospective locaion in the. northern I*l ~(the Slate, dose IU !tIVa'" Nila'" VIZ. Edu. Patlll and Ifdodun local lovemmau lIaS for soil Icslin&. Fcclers from them indialled th. they f t SIIIidied With Ihe mlCpllon Jot and lhey n to ' Iart _ 1ne n:'ult of the soil tcst, II ...... phmd, would IlrJdy dClcnmne lhe eua localoo 10 slle lhe proj«t .
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Fonia;.n Fannen: Speakinaat lhe oa:asioo. the ICIdcr of the SJ*liih Carmen' a:roup. Mr_ Ruben Pa-a.JO. iIId tha. "K"... sr." has
got III II takes to sucoocd In the nee proJCU; .....au- ID the CUlCIICDI RIYa" Niger. sun, lAd fa'llie 1011" He added thai the sta.e &ovemmau's poIllicaI will IDd mmmitment 10 dc:vdop acrialitlltt. would also help 10 anpowa- the local finna's IDd Improve lheu awrung,s Ind soao-eoQOoolic life ID the: aea. 'The. Spanish &nner, ,,'he Illd acncuhu~ had DOC been fully explolled In lhe: oounuy, added lhIl Nigena IS blessed WIth more than aude Ott Jnd p. thllS. the need rc. agnculluntl rc:funn 10 dlJOOW1l8e dc:pade......: on aude 011 . He also SlId lhat It ...... noc nlln for a oounll)' 10 Import food like m.lle. what and nee. adding lhal thcR should be
free nurket economy He also SlId that IhcK was need to Imbibe modem Iechmque In .,nculture (or export potenllaillies Jnd called for the collabonilion o( lhe FO wllh K....... Slate aovanment In area of IlriC.ion s:yS:lcm. addln& Ih. lhe finn was commitled 10 Implement the proj«1 acmn:Ilnalo Inlemauonai 51111-
....
Ban ktr" I nput Also, speabna the manllement of the bank I.hat would wock whh lhe "ae ,o"cmment to finlrKJ! the proj«1, the Group MlmllJlnS DuUfor of lhe GuaruntClt Trusl Dink, Mr. Squn Agbi)C, SlId lhe developmenl of Ignwlture would ~Iy IJMSfonn Niaaia'. economy. l ie. pled&ed lhe bIN's rommltmerll 10 .SIII lhe stae In the: Implcment..on of the pm"", . AgblJe ad, "A&nwll~ ~Iy IS lhe: only way forWIld for a COUDUy like Nip.. b IS a bi& "Cp for empioymenI. h IS a tN, SlLp for self rood prodUClJOO and Import SUMtJIUIIQCI. On our own p.-t • a bIIlt. we. WIll do .n we can 10 asliSl IhlS an- stae 10 pcrfonnanot of Ihu S"* imIiallve." C o v's £.plu a tlon Ho\I.wer. silDln, tbe MoU with the Sp.",h inveslon in Donn m:r:ntly, Gwanor Ahmed dt:ia1bed the: projca • a Step low.nis lhe: ddivay of dividm(h of democracy 10 the people of lhe stae. Aooording 10 him, "We f t foc:uscd to move the: ~e forWIrd especially, Itkina .tvanl ~e of pl.form m:ated by the immcdl.e past "nuniill'llion In the IfCII of acriculture. 10 have a renewed uwufonnaion in eoooomic dcveIopmml in lhe: ".e." Ahmed, who ad KWII1I SIDle III lirBdy agro-bascd with 10 per cent of lhe people livin& in the: rural areas. lidded tJul the people art tJ1iditionallr subsistence (1Illler5 . He 5IId lhe lasl _hmnaslI'IIloo In lhe stae was the first t:W:I' 10 5 11b1i,h privae 5eCIor driw:n cnmmacial fannin& in Shoop area of lhe SlIlC.. venture with while IddinC ch. a lot ollcssons had been le.nt &om Shonga's white r.mas With il, own challenga Be wd the. lessons Ind challengG art believed 10 Cive a
r.mcn
new dlrcc.tIOO of SuttcSS In dc:vdllfJ nc acncullure as a majOr fulaum for economiC JrOW'h MAma IS palenllally haven of In~"'mmt espca.,ly In .ellS of acncuhu~ and the palentlalS JI'e
now npe for
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pma bccIus.e you CIIlOOIIO "'-rooK ... ·n1 lI{:naJ.hunal lnvcslment If mettlO(hcally developed "'TbllS. the. need 10 move .,ncultLre from subilltcaot level to mmmt:n:lll level IhrouJh pJl'lnastup wuh fom~ Inveslors like "-01. Group", he sa d, apn:ssln& optimism that the projClCt would be: anoch.::r m.,..- Imp for lhe StIMe. Project Ph asa: Governor Ahm«t sad the InveslnlC'nt \Io'OUld be 10 to.... staces. wilh lhe stille ,Ow:nlll'lC'Dt proYldinJ 20,000 hcctaes of lind over four ye.s penl'ld and the finn pulling In 70 million Euros ~ )C:ar in tte 1OOr-) CIr IWnnp menl, maIDg a Iota! o( 280 millio'! f..un)8. 'The. covcmor, .... 00 SlId the county spends Iiboul 2_6 billion doll.s ~ )t:arIO Impon nre e'lCD ""hen lheaop can easily be supponcd by Nilenll .oil and human ~I"Cd, .tdcd Ihlt lhere ~ CI'IOfm)US opportUnities ID (he projCCt lil.e cmploynw::nl &tner1IIi(l n for )'ouch, who he S81d mal.e up 70 per cent of lhe POPUl.tlon Ind Iboul three million of lhe lotal human populalOf In the !.Iae. He SolId the proJCICI CII1 cencrae aJdlllonai walch local &rmen In the sla~. cspeaally III mDVlllIlhem &om SUbsIStence 10 rommacal flnmni!' lAd also sene as a pl.form to amc:rae ....e.hh and tcd!nlcal lnow- how local &rmen, "00. he ad. "1)tI1d lra-,d 10 Sl*n lOr. quae ttWDln, He SlId the ,ovanmatl's chOIee of noc: p-oduaion proJ«:I WIl 001 by mlSlah. saylDllht:te IS a re.ty matd fOr the prodUC1 10 Nigma. Wcsl Afuca s"b rqlOO and Afric:a. as nee is a sUiple food t:W:I"j ....'here In the world. He added that the. Spanish 6rm ..... CIIpccd be:aH.t of lUi expcnise IDd knowledge In ncz produwoo ' pam'"g DlOIe than 50
ror
ror
)'t:.s.
The governor, .... 00 50UJht FG:\' 1.oI l~ion 00 the: ('III brmin, imc..rtOn. md the stale covcmmc:r.. _ ~ u.ld not ul:lpwt nrip:lon system nccdcd for exportlllOl'I Ind mmmerdal .,nalltunal pnttlce in the ilate. ptO,J«t, paniwlll'ly
PosW ve Trmd Wi thout miJlCln& words, if this laudable mVC:S lmau Slans In the lillie, liteR; would be: mILl prodllClion of riee for the people and il would alliO tte:Jle employment opporlum tlcs for the tcc:mlna: youths IS Ihls would ratuoe IJle rate of cnmes In the slate. "'It would also Idd to the econorl'lIC value. of the: hostlnl commUnltlcs upon .... hld! lhe proJCU will be: Icx:.-ed and thn would a lon& 'IIlWY of boo$Ilnt the socia c:conOfJUC Jrowth of the Stae o f H..mony Ind Improve lhe apilal Inromt of the popula::Jt", he added.
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