The management of Ojemai Farms Limited has concluded plans to invest in sugarcane production by establishing a sugarcane farm and sugar refining factory in Owan East local government area of the state. This is part of its expansionist policy in the agricultural sector.

According to the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Abdul Oroh, the management of Ojemai farms was among the investors that have recently indicated interest to invest in the state’s agro-business sector. He added that their land has been surveyed and that the authorities of the Nigerian Sugar Council were recently in the state to carry out pre-feasibility studies on the land in order to advice the investors  appropriately and also support them .

Oroh pointed out that the state government played a very important role in the cultivation and production of rice, sugarcane, rubber, palm oil, cassava among others. He disclosed that the government has received several requests from companies interested in the production of rice, oil palm, palm oil, cassava and rubber. About 12 companies have strongly shown interest to commence operations before the end of the tenure of the governor next year. Some of these companies  have acquired large scale estates in the state while some have concluded survey of the land and are now at the final stage of processing land title documents.

For instance Afripalm, a subsidiary of Nigerian Flour Mill, has acquired more than 25,000 hectares of land this year alone from the existing plantations and from communities. Another company, Dufil, has requested 60,000 hectares of land and we have already surveyed about 40,000 hectares and at the moment we are at the process of granting them land title for the land. There is Wilbahi Group which is trying to start with about 4000 to 5000 hectares this year and also Dangote Group which is trying to invest in rice production.

He remarked that the government has done virtually everything that the companies need to get on ground, any of them that is ready can actually start doing something now. He also assured the people of the state that before the end of this administration some of the investments in the agricultural sector will start manifesting in the state,”

Source: Business day, 19^th August 2015