ON Monday, August 29, the previously little-known Ugbokun community in Edo State played host to a ceremony marking the commencement of work on a project which would see it transformed into a major centre for Agro allied industrial activity in Southern Nigeria. An Integrated Produce City, the first of its kind in the country, was berthed. In time, a new enclave for agricultural trade and industry will take shape upon 200 hectares of land, boosting agriculture in that patch of Nigeria and raising the prospect of better days for farmers in Edo State and the surrounding region. Adams Oshiomole, Governor of the host state, hinted at the high hopes being pinned on this new project when he spoke of it as being part of a conscious effort by Nigeria to rediscover its identity.
Here are a few facts about the project that you should know:
- The Integrated Produce City will serve multiple purposes: farm settlement, industrial park, commodities exchange, farm produce preservation centre, and export processing zone.
- Its location makes it possible for farmers from a vast zone stretching from Ogun, Ekiti and Ondo in the South West, to Edo and Delta in the South as well as Anambra in the East,to sell their produce directly to bulk retailers, thus eliminating exploitative middlemen from the trade chain. This gives them the opportunity to get better deals for themselves.
- A power plant supplying about 25 MW of electricity will cater for the power needs of the industrial park. The integrated power project, to be constructed by Paras Energy, should guarantee 24 hours of power supply to the city. A nearby river will also be dammed, and water channelled from it to the city to be used for irrigation and by factories to be built in it.
- Its produce preservation facilities will help to cut down on the amount of agricultural produce lost to spoilage.
- Its export processing zone gives the export promotion drive of the government a boost; farmers in the area will be able to pass their goods meant for export through the zone to access the international market.