Benue State is set to ensure that it’s comparative advantage of agricultural produce is made an alternative to crude oil to boost the economy of the state.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Green Harvest Stuffs, Prince Joshua Apeh stated this at the weekend during the Farmers Awareness and Mobilisation Programme and the flag-off of the Green Harvest Cooperative Society in Benue South Senatorial District organised by Green Harvest Store located in Otukpo, Benue State.
Prince Apeh observed that the Benue South senatorial district is blessed with cassava products which could serve as Nigeria’s new “crude oil” to transform the nation’s economy and guarantee food security.
Apeh said huge investment in cassava production and processing in Benue South would accelerate job creation and economic transformation.
He noted that Idoma land which produces the highest volume of cassava in the world is ready to lead a new agro-industrial chapter for Nigeria, stressing that farmers, government and other stakeholders must take advantage of the region’s agricultural potential.
According to Apeh, “Benue South had enormous cassava resources capable of supporting large-scale industries, but lamented that the absence of adequate processing facilities had prevented farmers from maximising the economic value of their produce.
“Our cassava is our crude oil. Just as crude oil transformed the fortunes of nations, cassava can transform the fortunes of our people if we are willing to invest in it, process it, add value to it and take it to the global market.
“This is a new dawn for the people of Idoma and for Nigeria. With the capacity we have here, we can end hunger in Nigeria and across West Africa, just as crude oil once changed the fortunes of this nation.
“Green Harvest Food Stuffs is strategically positioned to sustain millions of Nigerians and align with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
“Our region could become a major carbohydrate and renewable-energy hub if its agricultural resources were properly harnessed ,” Apeh remarked extensively.
He maintained that cassava could be processed into food products and industrial materials, while also providing raw materials for bioethanol and biofuel production, thereby creating jobs and reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported fuel.
According to him, the cooperative, was established to create a reliable platform through which farmers could access inputs, financing, mechanisation and guaranteed markets for their produce.
“We want to create a new environment for farmers, where they have an already off-taking market. They don’t need to struggle to sell their products after harvesting. We also want to secure food security and reduce harvest losses,” he said.
He disclosed that about 3,000 farmers had so far obtained registration forms to participate in the cooperative, with more expected to join following the mobilisation programme.
Apeh said members would benefit from loan facilities, improved cassava stems and seedlings, fertilisers, farm equipment and tractor services, among other interventions designed to increase production.
He Benue South was selected as the base of the initiative because of the region’s huge cassava production potential. “We cannot have the highest deposit of cassava in Benue South and have no processing factory to transform it and add value to it. That is why we are here,” he said.
Apeh disclosed that Green Harvest currently had the capacity to produce about 250,000 kilogrammes of garri monthly and 300,000 kilogrammes of flour, while plans were underway to venture into livestock feed production and establish a major bioethanol plant.
He said the planned bioethanol facility would utilise the abundant cassava resources in the region to produce fuel that could support Nigeria’s downstream oil and gas sector.
Speaking on the insecurity ravaging the country, which has made some farmers to abandon their farms, Apeh said Green Harvest was developing measures to improve the safety of farmers and their farmlands, including the establishment of a situation room to monitor farms, detect security threats and alert security agencies promptly to protect farmers and farm workers.
He disclosed that the company had provided motorcycles and vehicles for youth involved in farm surveillance and was also planning to deploy drones and cameras linked to a central control centre for monitoring agricultural areas.
“We are already setting up a platform that could tackle the issue. We are strengthening our youths to stand up and protect the farmlands. We are also bringing in drones that can do surveillance and putting cameras around the farms so that we can monitor what happens during any hour of the day,” he said.
Apeh acknowledged that the company faced challenges, particularly the need for more resources and stronger partnerships with government, but said its commitment was driven by the agricultural potential of Benue South. “This is my heritage. This is what our ancestors are known for. Since this is our heritage and what we are known for, we have to do it,” he said.
He called on the government to support the Green Harvest model and replicate similar agricultural value-chain initiatives across Nigeria, saying such interventions could strengthen rural economies, empower farmers, create employment and reduce dependence on food imports.
He described cassava as Benue’s “crude oil”, saying the crop had the potential to transform the fortunes of farmers if properly processed, packaged and exported to the global market.
According to him, Benue’s fertile land and abundant cassava production could position the state as a major carbohydrate hub capable of contributing significantly to food security in Nigeria and West Africa.
The Managing Director of Green harvest food stuffs however, acknowledged the chairman of the company, Letthemsay Braboke Inaibagha, for making it possible for the company to achieve the milestone.
He enjoined those with the needs of doing business with the company to contact the relevant personnel.
A guest speaker at the occasion, Mr. Gideon Oche Emmanuel, commended Green Harvest Stuffs for the initiative, calling on the government and other stakeholders to emulate the company and setup similar cassava factory in other regions of the country.
Some of the community leaders who spoke, including Agara Uwoke, Adakole Onyilokwu, and Baba Acheme, all commended Green Harvest Foodstuffs for the support extended to them.
They described the initiative as an opportunity for Idoma people to “rewrite their story” and gain global recognition through cassava.
Other beneficiaries of the intervention, included the Okpachu Ode, Comfort Okubi, and James Adaka who all commended Green Harvest, saying the initiative would help farmers secure better returns from their agricultural investments.
They said access to markets, farm inputs and other forms of support would encourage more people to return to farming and expand production.