From: Uche Nnorom, Makurdi
Director General Benue Agro-Industrial and Processing, Economic Transformation Bureau BENAGRO Mr. Peter Chieshe has decried that Benue farmers do not get value for their produce due to lack of agro-industrial and processing companies.
He also noted the crude farming practice amongst farmers in the state resulting in poor yield and value for their produce.
Mr. Chieshe who made this lamentation while speaking with newsmen in Makurdi, said Governor Hyacinth Alia is poised to change this trajectory by upping the optic in establishing agro-industrial processing companies.
The BENAGRO DG explained that the new Bureau is to leverage on the potentials of agriculture and manufacturing to bring development to Benue State.
According to him, “agriculture is a vast field. Farmers output value is poor. Agriculture is interwoven with processing. Farmer do not capture the true value, the agro-industrial processing is where the wealth is. That is where value enhancement is. Selling agricultural raw materials will make your farmers poor.
“But Food industry is where the wealth is everywhere around the world. Agro-Industrial sector is a big employer of labor. The governor has a vision to diversify the economy of the State away from dependant on the monthly allocation by leveraging on the power and potentials of agro-industry for economic transformation that will change the face of Benue. This is a strategy to drive home grown solution to prosperity.
“The Bureau is charged with modernizing agriculture. It is charged with jump-starting agro-industrial production and delivering economic transformation.”
